About Diabetes Self-management Education and Support Programs

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) provides an evidence-based foundation to empower people with diabetes to navigate self-management decisions and activities. DSMES is a cost-effective tool proven to help improve health behaviors and health outcomes for people with diabetes.

An accredited or recognized DSMES service must meet evidence-based standards. The accreditation and recognition processes help ensure that services are offering quality education and make the services eligible for reimbursement from Medicare, many private health plans, and some state Medicaid agencies.

Diabetes Risk Factors

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an immune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) [1]. Risk factors for type 1 diabetes are not as clear as for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Known risk factors include:

Family history: Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 1 diabetes.
Age: You can get type 1 diabetes at any age, but it’s more likely to develop when you’re a child, teen, or young adult.
In the United States, whites are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes than African Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans.

Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes. [2]

Type 2 Diabetes

According to the CDC: "Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into the cells in your body for use as energy. If you have type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond normally to insulin; this is called insulin resistance." [3].

You might be at risk of deveoloping Type 2 Diabetes if you:

Have prediabetes
Are overweight
Are 45 years or older
Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
Are physically active less than 3 times a week
Have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
Are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, or Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are also at higher risk)
If you have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease you may also be at risk for type 2 diabetes [2].

Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Make Big Impacts

You can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with simple, proven lifestyle changes such as losing weight if you’re overweight, eating healthier, and getting regular physical activity. Find a Diabetes Self-Management Education & Support Program Today

Class Description and Eligibility

Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is delivered by diabetes care and education specialists. Collaboratively, they work with a person who has diabetes to create a plan of care that is personalized to an individual’s lifestyle, culture, beliefs and environment. Sessions cover everything from understanding how to use devices like meters, insulin pens, pumps and continuous glucose monitors, to interpreting data from these devices to identify patterns and areas of concern. Together, they work to find solutions that address their most pressing challenges [5].

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support programs provide information and skills for people to manage their diabetes. DSMES addresses your individual needs, goals, and life experiences and is guided by evidence-based standards [5].
You’ll learn how to:

eat healthy,
be physically active,
monitor blood sugar levels,
take medication,
problem solve,
reduce risk for other health conditions,
cope with the emotional side of diabetes,
improve your health and quality of life

National Diabetes Statistics

Total: 34.2 million people have diabetes (10.5% of the US population)
Diagnosed: 26.9 million people, including 26.8 million adults
Undiagnosed: 7.3 million people (21.4% are undiagnosed) [4]

Wyoming Diabetes Statistics

In 2019, 7.8% of adults in Wyoming reported a diabetes diagnosis [7]

For more information about thriving with a diabetes diagnosis click HERE!

The best times for diabetes education are:

1. When you’re diagnosed with diabetes
2. As part of your annual assessment of education, nutrition or emotional issues
3. When new complications arise
4. During changes in your healthcare team or treatment [6]

life changes

Find a program near you

Information Request Form

Referrals for DSMES must come from a provider, but this form will put you in contact with an existing program near you, and will give you information on how to get a provider referral.

For Providers

Click here for Provider Resources

Contact Us Today!

Wyoming Center on Aging

Dept. 3415, 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071

307-766-2829 | 307-766-2847 (fax)

healthierwyo@uwyo.edu

References

1. What is type 1 diabetes? (2021, January 20). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/what-is-type-1-diabetes.html
2. Diabetes risk factors. (2020, March 24). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/risk-factors.html
3. Type 2 diabetes. (2019, May 30). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html
4. National diabetes Statistics Report, 2020. (2020, August 28). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html
5. Education and support. (2019, May 30). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/education.html
6. Association of Diabetes care & education specialists. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.diabeteseducator.org/living-with-diabetes/how-a-diabetes-educator-can-help-you
7. 2019 BRFSS Data