Diabetes today in the Pacific: reports from the field.

The Pacific Diabetes Today Resource Center (PDTRC) was established in 1998 to assist communities in Hawai'i, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to develop, implement, and evaluate community diabetes prevention and control activities. Between 2000 and 2002, PDTRC provided training and on-going support in 11 communities. This article includes case-study descriptions from each site, suggesting that in the first four years of this five-year project, PDTRC helped Pacific communities increase public awareness about diabetes, expand collaboration and partnership, develop the training capacities of local health leaders, sponsor new activities related to diabetes prevention and control, and secure new resources for their communities.

Listening to the community: a first step in adapting Diabetes Today to the Pacific.

Diabetes is a growing problem among Pacific Islanders, but few community-based groups in the Pacific are actively working on diabetes prevention and control. The Pacific Diabetes Today Resource Center (PDTRC) was established in 1998 to adapt the Diabetes Today (DT) curriculum for Pacific Island communities in Hawai'i, American Samoa, and Micronesia. To gather data to guide the development of the Pacific Diabetes Today (PDT) curriculum, a year was spent listening to Pacific communities.

Empowerment through community building: Diabetes Today in the Pacific.

The goal of Diabetes Today, a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is to develop coalitions and train coalition members in assessment, planning, and evaluation to address diabetes in their communities. CDC established the Pacific Diabetes Today Resource Center (PDTRC) in 1998 to tailor the program for Pacific Islander communities in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau. PDTRC's work is guided by the principles of community building and the goal of empowering coalitions to take action around diabetes.