Mapping Gaps and Opportunities: Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) Expansion in North Carolina

This map project displays a county-level High Burden Index for North Carolina integrating age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Quintile classification was used to identify counties with the greatest diabetes and related cardiometabolic disease burden. Five rural counties, Bladen, Greene, Richmond, Scotland, and Tyrrell, in the coastal plains region were classified in the highest burden quintile and lacked Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs. In contrast, counties with the lowest burden scores were concentrated primarily in urban and suburban areas, including Wake, Mecklenburg, Buncombe, and New Hanover. The map also overlays the locations of existing DSMES programs and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to highlight geographic gaps in diabetes care and identify potential opportunities for future DSMES program expansion in high-need communities.

ArcGIS Pro 3.6

• BRFSS/PLACES
• Health care locations
• Program services
• U.S. Census

County-level age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure was integrated in ArcGIS Pro 3.6 using attribute joins and field calculations. Counties received quintile scores (1 -5) for each indicator; scores were summed into a High Burden Index (3-15) and classified from Very Low to Very High. Geocoded burden index, DSMES and FQHC locations were overlaid to identify resource gaps and potential expansion areas. FQHCs. Graduated colors and spatial overlays visualized priorities.

This map can be used by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section and its partners to identify priority communities for expanding Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) services. By visualizing chronic disease burden alongside the locations of DSMES programs and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), the map supports data-driven planning, strategic resource allocation, and the development of partnerships to improve access to diabetes care in underserved communities. The map also provides a reproducible framework for monitoring service coverage and informing future public health initiatives.

Claudia Giraldo, Diabetes Programs State Specialist and Assistant
NC DHHS, Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section
919-707-5233
claudia.giraldo@dhhs.nc.gov

Claudia Giraldo, NC DHHS, Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease and Injury Section. Accessed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Chronic Disease GIS Map Gallery. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease-and-stroke-data/data-vis/nc-dsmes-gaps-expansion.html