Testing a University-Wide Campaign Against Diabetes
To help combat the diabetes epidemic in New York, the City University of New York (CUNY) Urban Health Collaborative developed the Campaign Against Diabetes (CAD) initiative.Grantee Name
Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc.
Funding Area
Improving Diabetes Prevention and Management
Publication Date
August 2015
Grant Amount
$75,478
Grant Date:
December 2015 – November 2016
Diabetes is a major health problem that affects nearly 1.8 million people in New York State.
Additionally, 4.5 million New Yorkers are estimated to have prediabetes, a condition resulting from high blood sugar levels—putting them at high risk for developing diabetes in the future.
To help combat the diabetes epidemic in New York, the City University of New York (CUNY) Urban Health Collaborative developed the Campaign Against Diabetes (CAD) initiative. CAD is a campuswide diabetes prevention program aimed toward reducing the prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes among CUNY students, staff members, and faculty. In 2007, NYHealth awarded a grant to CUNY to expand CAD and further develop, pilot, and evaluate components of the program.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Held diabetes interventions at Hunter College, Hostos Community College, and Medgar Evers College. Interventions were led by certified diabetes educators and tailored specifically to each campus’s population;
- Developed the report, “What’s for Lunch at CUNY?,” which made recommendations to the CUNY administration and resulted in revised expectations for food service contracts to make health and sustainability a high priority;
- Organized a policy briefing on obesity in New York City, which was attended by more than 70 legislative representatives, dietitians, nurses, community organizers, and other public health workers. The report, “Reversing the Diabetes and Obesity Epidemics in New York City” was presented to attendees.