Diabetes has become a major global challenge, and countries around the world have reached a broad consensus: to strengthen diabetes education and promote the popularization of diabetes-related knowledge.
However, approaches to diabetes education vary worldwide. Some countries disseminate diabetes knowledge through public welfare education programs. Others integrate education with treatment for people with diabetes within healthcare settings. In other words, the delivery of education differs across regions.
Compared with other fields such as fire safety, diabetes education remains relatively underdeveloped. One practical reason is that fire hazards pose an immediate and widespread public risk, creating an urgent and universal demand for fire safety education.
In my view, diabetes education is not only critically important but would also benefit greatly from specialized diabetes educators to address its inherent gaps, especially in less developed regions.
Public data shows that a large proportion of people living with diabetes are unaware of their condition. Diabetes affects all age groups, including children, adolescents, and adults. How to deliver effective, targeted diabetes education to these diverse populations is a question worthy of in-depth discussion, and different countries and regions may adopt different strategies and solutions.
Diabetes management encompasses multiple dimensions: prevention, diagnosis and treatment, diet and nutrition, physical activity, blood glucose control, and medication management. For this reason, I believe diabetes education is best delivered by dedicated educators with comprehensive expertise—not only about the disease itself, but also nutrition, exercise, and other related fields.
They can help the general public better prevent diabetes and support people already diagnosed with effective health management. Diabetes is typically a chronic, long-term condition, making comprehensive health management especially vital for patients. They must manage their physical health while also confronting the psychological challenge of living with diabetes, which consumes considerable mental and emotional energy.
Specialized diabetes educators can help alleviate patients’ doubts, distress, and psychological pressure.
In summary, if diabetes education can flourish and develop as robustly as formal education, the global public health challenge posed by diabetes could be significantly improved.