Diabetes Education Lacking in Rural America

Diabetes Education Lacking in Rural America

Diabetes self-management education (DSME) helps people gain the knowledge and skills needed to manage their diabetes. Good management can help prevent or delay diabetes-related complications. But 62% of rural counties don’t have a DSME program. According to the latest in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’s special series on rural health, the nearly two-thirds of rural counties without a DSME program also had a higher percentage of black and Hispanic people, were less affluent, and had more people with diagnosed diabetes than did rural counties with at least one DSME program. These and other findings highlight the need to identify barriers and provide better access to DSME programs in underserved rural communities. Read the full report here.

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For more information:

• CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation
• MMWR Rural Health Series
• Rural Health Basics
• The Case for Rural Health
• Managing Diabetes