Global News in Diabetes Education

With travel opportunities and communication through technology, our world truly has become a “global village.” We can no longer sit back in our own little communities and ignore what is happening on an international scale. This holds true for politics, economics, and health issues, such as diabetes.

After my term as senior vice president of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 1994, I became actively involved with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). IDF is the leading global diabetes advocacy organization, and ADA is one of its 178 member associations. IDF’s mission is to work with its member associations to enhance the lives of people with diabetes.

In moving from a national leadership position to participation in the global community, I was elected in 2000 at the IDF Congress in Mexico City to represent the field of diabetes education as 1 of 12 IDF vice presidents. In this role, I have traveled to both developing and developed countries, touting the importance of diabetes self-management education.

What I have learned along the way has been eye-opening. I was surprised to learn, for example, that:

• in the next 25 years, the incidence of diabetes will increase 165%.

• an estimated 177 million people are already affected by diabetes.

• previous projections of the prevalence of diabetes worldwide have, in general, been underestimates compared to new data.

• two-thirds of people with diabetes live in the developing world.

• most of those affected will be 45–64 years old (much like in the United States).

• in these countries, most of those who have diabetes are in economically active age-groups—the workforce.

• fetal origins have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes later in life. This will be especially problematic for developing countries where pregnant women are often deprived of food.

• in today’s world, some children cannot get insulin.

• small countries pay more for blood glucose test strips. As a result of their small population bases and the limited number of people who need strips, their costs for these supplies are higher.

All of these facts make it even more evident that efforts to promote and implement diabetes self-management education are crucial. No country’s health system and economy, including our own, can handle this pandemic.

At last, in both national and international arenas, the benefits of diabetes education have been appreciated as a fundamental component of diabetes care. In recognition of this, the IDF Board of Management ratified the establishment of a Consultative Section on Diabetes Education in 1994. Since its inception, the section’s mission has been to improve the lives of people with diabetes by assisting health professionals, professional organizations, and member organizations in providing high-quality education and care.

The IDF Education Section members, representing all diabetes disciplines and regions of the world, developed standards, position papers, and a recognition process. Members have been involved in numerous leadership and training workshops throughout the seven IDF regions.

At many of these workshops, representatives of member organizations have cited the lack of trained health professionals and the lack of programs to train health professionals as the most critical issues impeding the delivery of high-quality diabetes education and care in their area. To address this need, the Education Section developed a diabetes curriculum that could be used by all IDF members. The curriculum was launched at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Budapest, Hungary, and is now available from IDF headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. There are also plans to make the document available on the IDF website and to translate it into Spanish and possibly French.

The curriculum can be readily adapted to meet the different and special needs of local health professionals, institutions, and organizations. It has also been designed to facilitate the education of health professionals from a variety of disciplines and at different levels, allowing them to provide education and care relevant to local needs and resources.

The IDF Education Section has also proudly showcased education at recent IDF Congresses. The next Congress will be in Paris in August 2003. For more information, visit www.IDFParis2003.org.

A great deal of work remains to be done, and educators are known for their willingness to pitch in. If you are interested in learning more about international diabetes efforts, visit the IDF website at www.idf.org. This website is still being developed; the goal is to have an interactive site for educators worldwide.

We need to stay in touch and learn from each other in our efforts to help those with diabetes develop critical self-management skills.