Move More Diabetes

Move More Diabetes (MMD) is a community-based chronic disease self-management program that uses Lay Health Educators (LHEs) to promote physical activity and improve diabetes self-management among individuals with type 2 diabetes. The program targets adults 30-70 years of age who live in rural communities. The program was designed for adults who do not meet CDC physical activity recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. The LHEs are essential to program success. Many of the LHEs have type 2 diabetes themselves and understand the challenges of exercising with diabetes. The LHEs provide informal peer support and establish trusting relationships with program participants. Program components include (1) walking maps, pedometers and physical activity logs; (2) referrals to diabetes self management resources; (3) social marketing messages; (4) chronic disease management education classes, and (5) weekly motivational emails. The program targets work sites, healthcare settings, faith and community settings, and local newspapers as places to deliver social marketing messages. Move More Diabetes also addresses policy by working with community partners to promote and create environmental changes in the community that promote physical activity. The program was designed for replication in other rural communities.

The goal of MMD is to increase physical activity among people with type 2 diabetes and improve their disease self-management skills.

Move More Diabetes has established a network of over 35 volunteer LHEs with an LHE-to-participant ratio of about 1:5. From 2004-2006, the LHEs recorded 1500 contacts with enrollees. MMD monitored changes in physical activity in the region and it was found that physical activity increased during the program implementation period; however, it is not possible to attribute the change solely to MMD.