Research Updates in Kidney and Urologic Health

NKDEP Establishes Pilot Kidney Education Programs

The Steering Committee for the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) held its second Steering Committee meeting on April 26, 2002, in Bethesda, MD, to update committee members on NKDEP's past and current activities, brief them on the African-American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) and Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC) clinical trials, and provide members the opportunity to share their chronic kidney disease (CKD) activities with the entire group.

Based on the epidemiology of CKD and with the advice of the Steering Committee, NKDEP will focus its initial effort on developing an educational campaign targeting primary care providers and African Americans at high risk for kidney disease, particularly those with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney failure.

Messages will focus on identifying the risk factors for kidney disease, testing individuals found to be at risk, and providing appropriate treatment to those diagnosed with kidney disease. NKDEP has recently conducted literature reviews, focus groups, and in-depth interviews to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the identified target audiences. This formative research will guide message and material development and strategy selection for the campaign.

Outreach and educational activities will be conducted at four pilot sites located in Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; and Jackson, MS. These cities are geographically distributed and have significant African Americans populations, high rates of kidney disease, and an existing infrastructure such as an NIDDK-funded clinical research center. Coalitions of volunteers are being recruited at each site to disseminate the messages and implement the activities starting in early 2003. Successful strategies identified through the pilot programs will be used to develop a broader national campaign.

Other NKDEP program activities include creating a compendium of existing educational programs and resources on CKD, launching a website, improving laboratory reporting of kidney function, and developing an evaluation plan to assess the education program's impact at the pilot sites as well as the long-term effects of the program. To learn more about NKDEP, go to www.nkdep.nih.gov.

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