The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 422 million people have diabetes worldwide. Compared to high-income countries, prevalence has been increasing more quickly in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts that by 2045, every one in eight individuals will have diabetes, translating to a 46% rise. These figures are indeed staggering.Unfortunately, diabetes is a chronic health condition. It is one of the health issues that is escalating the quickest. Therefore, learning about it and spreading awareness has become crucial now more than ever.
So, what exactly is diabetes? Diabetes is a lifelong metabolic disorder marked by high levels of blood glucose, commonly known as blood sugar. To briefly explain, the food you consume gets converted by your body into glucose, which then gets released into the bloodstream. The pancreas in your body produces insulin when your blood sugar level goes up. The insulin functions as a key to allow blood sugar to enter your body’s cells, where it may be used as fuel for your body.
On the contrary, when a person has diabetes, their body either releases insufficient insulin or utilizes it improperly. As a result, a surplus of blood sugar remains in the bloodstream. That can eventually lead to various health issues like cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, or eyesight loss.
Knowing how this persistent disease can cause many other health complications, it’s high time you play your role and help the world become more educated. Below are six ways you can try to raise diabetes awareness:
Arrange Educational Workshops And Webinars
One of the most impactful ways to raise diabetes awareness is by educating others. For this reason, you can host educational workshops.
Answer this. Are you a healthcare professional currently pursuing an online health administration master degree program? That’s great! In that case, you will have the proper knowledge and skills to help the general public and other healthcare workers.
By leveraging your knowledge and expertise, you can curate insightful and engaging sessions that cover a range of topics, including diabetes management, its prevention, or new developments in medical technology.
While you can host onsite educational sessions to help your local community, you can also reach a larger audience without being constrained by geography. In other words, all thanks to the internet, you can arrange virtual sessions so people from different walks of life can participate and get awareness.
Take Advantage Of Social Media
Let’s face it; social media platforms are an excellent way to connect with your friends and family and even reach out to a larger audience. So, why not leverage it to raise awareness?
You can create informative yet engaging content, including infographics, videos, etc., to educate users about diabetes. It is also a great place to address and dispel widespread misconceptions about this chronic medical condition.
Make sure you add updated facts and statistics from authentic sources. It will help maintain your social media posts’ credibility. Moreover, you can use common hashtags to improve your posts’ visibility.
Join A Relevant Support Group
Undoubtedly, living with diabetes may get overwhelming at times. After all, a medical condition affects the person in more than one way. As a result, diabetic patients may experience different emotions, like helplessness, frustration, anxiety, anger, etc. However, these people don’t have to be alone in their journey. There are many support groups for individuals impacted by diabetes. In these support groups, members share their personal experiences, knowledge and motivate each other.
You can join these groups to share your insights and advocate for diabetes awareness. Not sure where to find these support groups? Contact your community hospital. Or if there aren’t any, why not create one?
Engage In A Fundraising Event
Do you want to get involved and do something personal? In that case, actively participate in diabetes fundraisers. These fundraising events or campaigns help raise money to advance research, treatments, and support. Additionally, fundraisers also serve as an organized platform to educate people as well as raise diabetes awareness.
Thus, you can join countrywide walks organized by American Diabetes Association (ADA) or JDRF. However, if for any reason you are unable to join the walk, don’t fret. Instead, you can join the cause by registering to walk virtually.
You can go a step further and create your own fundraiser, too. Get in touch with your local community leader and share your goal and vision with them. Ideas for creating your fundraising programs can include hosting a bake sale, selling a customized t-shirt, organizing a car wash, etc.
Don’t Forget To Sign Petitions
Do you know approximately 30 million U.S. citizens with diabetes, out of 31%, use insulin to control their disease? Yet, unfortunately, these diabetic patients have been expressing their concerns about the continuously soaring insulin prices for an extended period. According to statistics, the average cash price for one unit of insulin increased by 54% from 2014 to 2019. And following that, it decreased somewhat by 7.1% from 2020 to 2023. Thus, it is one of the most talked about issues in the diabetes community.
Given this, signing the petition is another meaningful way to raise diabetes-related awareness. Your one signature can be an effective weapon to convince policymakers, support legislative changes, and help improve the lives of millions of people.
However, don’t just stop here. You can share the petition with your circle and ask them to be a part of it to make a significant difference.
Participate In Diabetes-Related Activities
Lastly, you can bring attention to this prevalent health condition by participating in activities.
For example, do you know what is a blue circle? It is a universal symbol of diabetes. Most people, including people impacted by diabetes, are unaware of this. So, whether you are a diabetic patient or know someone with diabetes, you can spread awareness of this chronic disease by snapping a picture with a blue circle and sharing it on social media feeds. You can get access to the blue circle by using the app developed by IDF.
However, snapping pictures with blue circles is not the only activity you can take part in. There are other ways, too. For instance, wearing blue is another way to spread the word. Or, maybe you can light up your room with blue color.
Still confused about which diabetes-related activities to participate in? No worries. You can find plenty on IDF’s official website.
Key Takeaways
Do you know, many diabetes or prediabetes patients are not even aware of their condition? It is specifically true for Type 2 diabetes. The reason? The symptoms are so mild that they often get overlooked. In addition to it, this chronic disease has till yet no treatment available. It gives you all the more reason to educate yourself and others. Who knows, by following any tips discussed above about spreading diabetes awareness, you may save a life. #diabetesawareness
