Power to Prevent - National Diabetes Education Program - National ...

Discussion Points
Say: “Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes is the NDEP slogan for diabetes prevention. A
small step—for example, eating less fried food or taking the stairs instead of the elevator—is a place
to begin. Small steps can bring big rewards, but you need to stick with it. You need to work up to at
least 30 minutes or moderate physical activity (like brisk walking) 5 days a week and decrease the fat
and calories you eat to lose weight.”
Ask participants for other small steps that could lead to big rewards. If they are unable to come up
with any, bring up the following:
Making an appointment to see your doctor or nurse
Setting a short-term goal to increase your activity (What can I do tomorrow?); for example,
walking once around the neighborhood before dinner
Changing one meal or one snack at a time to reduce your intake of fat and calories; for example,
eating a larger serving of vegetables instead of a roll with butter, or baking chicken instead of
frying it
Ask group members to look at their GAME PLAN Food and Activity Trackers, and remind them
that the tracker will help them to set goals and to track their progress in areas that are important for
preventing and for managing diabetes.
Say: “The Small Steps. Big Rewards campaign was developed to go with the GAME PLAN toolkit and
to encourage you to take charge. The More Than 50 Ways to Prevent Diabetes tip sheet is part of the
Small Steps campaign and provides ideas on how to eat more healthily and how to increase physical
activity.”
Ask group members to come up with their own tips to prevent diabetes. Encourage them to create
a health tip that is a rhyme, similar to the ones used in the campaign. (Refer group members to the
posted campaign materials.) Ask group members to share their tips, and write them on a fipchart.
Suggest to participants that they focus on one change in their lifestyles each week. Use the small
steps that they developed during the discussion as examples. Ask them to pledge to take one small
step each week.
Activity
Take a 5- to 0-minute break for physical activity (e.g., walk around the building, down
the hall and back, or in a circle in the room). Try to move to music, if available.
Review of Discussion Points
Point to the fipchart, blackboard, or paper on which you have written the learning
objectives:)
Say: “Today we learned about three main topics:
NDEP Power to Prevent Session 2 4