In an innovative partnership, Virginia Cooperative Extension and Centers for Disease Control will study diabetes management and social support interventions. VCE will receive funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors for a two-year research study with the Balanced Living with Diabetes program and the CDC’s New Beginnings support group for people with type 2 diabetes. The funding will pay for two Balanced Living with Diabetes programs each for 15 family and consumer science agents.

The study will explore the effectiveness of using the CDC’s New Beginnings: A Discussion Guide for Living Well with Diabetes to reach those people who need help managing their diabetes. By using a storytelling approach to open and guide discussions, New Beginnings connects emotionally with participants and can help them to think in new and diverse ways about how they manage diabetes. It brings together aspects of participant-centered design, mindfulness practices, and critical thinking skills to look at topics such as living well with diabetes, building self-confidence, and managing stress. 

Balanced Living with Diabetes is an evidence-based, collaborative, community-based type 2 diabetes lifestyle change program that has been evaluated through multi-year projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture. The program emphasizes self-efficacy, goal setting, self-regulation, and social support to encourage improvement in self-management of diabetes. The Balanced Living with Diabetes effort is led by the Healthy People, Healthy Communities Program Team.