TODAY Standard Diabetes Education (TSDE)

The rise in rates of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is relatively recent.  Initially, healthcare providers and clinicians diagnosing and treating youth-onset type 2 diabetes had to rely on materials designed for youth with type 1 diabetes or adults with type 2 diabetes.  As development of the TODAY study began, the study group recognized that a systematic educational program was needed to assure that children and families had a firm foundation in knowledge and skills specific to type 2 diabetes.  The TSDE was administered to all study participants.  The basic curriculum was in a manual covered during a pre-randomization run-in period.  Throughout follow-up, additional handouts and tip sheets were available as needed. 

The purposes of the TSDE are:

  1. to provide the participants and supportive family members with basic knowledge about type 2 diabetes, and
  2. to teach basic survival skills and behaviors that are important for successful management of this disease.  

Educational content deals with the physiology of type 2 diabetes, treatment, management, and progressive skill building.  Materials have been combined into interactive, developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive workbooks provided to the youth and family members.  In order to participate in TODAY, youth had to speak and read English; many materials are also provided in Spanish in order to involve family members who do not know English.  Materials are designed to be administered by any member of a diabetes care clinical team, not just a certified diabetes educator (CDE).  Education can be provided by telephone, in person, or in groups.

Materials include a manual with 7 lessons and 4-7 subsections within each lesson.  The manual is provided in two versions:

  1. The PDF version includes graphics and layout.
  2. The DOC version provides the text without graphics and layout.  Users may create their own manuals by cut-and-pasting various sections or modifying wording.  Refer to the graphics layout version to understand how the text sections relate to each other.  

Schedules and slides are intended to help administer the lessons.  Supplementary materials are available for follow-up sessions and to address specific life events or experiences.

Click on the 'Publications' tab to download the TODAY publication ‘Development of a diabetes education program for youth with type 2 diabetes' (published in Diabetes Educator 2009, volume 35, pages 108-116). 

Other sites providing materials and information about diabetes are: