Diabetes Awareness: A Path to Health Equity

Americans are developing diabetes at higher rates and younger ages. About 37.3 million adults in the United States have diabetes, disease that disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, as well as those with lower incomes. Diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce or use insulin, a hormone that is made in the pancreas and released into the blood, where it controls the glucose (sugar) levels by moving the glucose into cells and converting into energy to function. 

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, a time to promote its prevention and treatment. It is also a time to recognize the need for health equity to eliminate the undue burden of diabetes among racial and ethnic minorities, who are likely to have a more rapid progression of the disease, worse diabetes control, and experience complications compared to non-minorities.

JBS International partners with nonprofit stakeholders and federal agencies, like the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), to accelerate the pace of translating scientific research into actionable health messages to prevent diabetes, enhance clinical practice, and improve the quality of life of children and adults who live with diabetes and their families. 

Our wealth of experience includes training and technical assistance, program evaluation, and qualitative research. Advancing health equity is at the core of our organization. JBS leverages the expertise of a wide range of subject matter experts (SMEs) with clinical and technical backgrounds to create sustainable solutions for our clients and partners.

By combining subject-matter expertise with strategic communications, JBS conveys scientific information in a compelling manner to reach audiences who are underserved or are at risk for diabetes. We support our partners through:

• Bilingual live chat functionality—Integrated live chat technology reaches a younger audience at risk for diabetes at earlier ages to offer immediate responses to questions and concerns and to provide resources in English and Spanish for those who prefer to communicate through text.
• Prevention-focused weekly radio messages—Our content covers topics such as diabetes and depression, gestational diabetes, chronic kidney disease, diabetic eye disease, and lifestyle changes that can reverse prediabetes and lower the risk of developing diabetes. The podcast is fully accessible through audio and transcript.
• TV and satellite media tours—During health observance months, these feature celebrity influencers to reach diverse audiences nationwide, sharing information about diabetes prevention and providing inspiration for children and adults—as well as their families and caregivers—who are living with diabetes.>
• Reader-friendly content—Distributed in English and Spanish, this content helps millions of readers improve their health and celebrate the scientific discoveries that have made managing diabetes easier through online news and blogs as well as newspapers.
• Blog posts—These blogs enhance clinical practice with research-informed updates and emerging viewpoints from SMEs on the front lines of diabetes research, management, and prevention.

These are just some of the many ways that JBS is working to address a major public health issue, reduce health disparities, and increase health care access and quality for underserved communities.