“Diabetes is a disease of all age groups” Campaign

Name of the activity: “Diabetes is a disease of all age groups” Campaign

Country/NMO: Iraq (Kurdistan) (IFMSA-Kurdistan)

Program: Healthy Lifestyles & Non-Communicable Diseases

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign. Combination of education and advocacy. Campaigns create awareness in society about a certain topic (education aspect) and try to funnel this awareness into pressure on the decision makers to adapt policies accordingly (advocacy aspect).

General description:

DM is one of the commonest chronic illness worldwide it’s prevalence is increasing.

Spreading awareness about DM in our country will be impactful and life changing since our society lacks proper knowledge about DM and so initiating any activity targeting that aspect would prove crucial and prosperous to our and next generations.Under the slogan of Diabetes is a disease of all age groups we arranged a campaign from 14th-30th of November of 2018 which took place in 5 malls,1 park,4 maternity hospitals and 10 schools and reached >2000 people from all backgrounds and ages.During the campaign we did basic checkups of RBS,BP and BMI.And gave the unprivileged patients glucometer in addition to brochures and booklets.We spread awareness on the topic among the public,school students as well as pregnant females regarding DM,risk factors, management and screening.

We did 2 promotional videos and Tv interview during the campaign.100 members were trained efficiently to deliver and achieve the goal.

Focus area:

Prevention of NCDs and Health Promotion

Problem statement:

Diabetes mellitus is one of the commonest chronic illness worldwide.

The prevalence of DM is increasing according to WHO statistics:

The global prevalence of diabetes among adults over 18 years of age has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014 and In 2016, an estimated 1.6 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes.

Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication and regular screening and treatment for complications.

Target groups:

General population, Other Students, Youth, Women

Beneficiaries:

General population

Objectives and indicators of success:

Goals:

1-Promote awareness and screen for DM (types,symptoms,risk factors,complications and prevention)among >2000 persons in 4 cities of Kurdistan in the last 2 weeks of November 2018.

2-Empower >50 members capacity building and knowledge about DM in 4 LC’s in the first 2 weeks of November 2018.

Objectives:

For goal 1:

1-Increase knowledge on gestational DM among 50 pregnant women in 3 maternity hospitals in Kurdistan.

2-Educate 500 students about DM in 5 schools.

3-Increase knowledge on DM for >1000 persons from the general public in 4 malls.

4-Screen >1000 persons from the general public for DM,HTN and obesity (as risk factors of diabetes)in 4 malls/parks.

3-Distribute 50 free glucometers for unprivileged individuals during the campaign.

For goal 2:

1-Provide 50 members with 3 training sessions regarding DM and proper use of glucometers,sphygmomanometer and BMI calculation and communication skills.

Indicator of success:

For 1st goal:

>2000 people screened for DM, HTN and obesity

>2000 aware people on DM

500 aware students on DM

>50 aware pregnant woman on gestational DM

>50 free distributed glucometers

2000 distributed brochures on DM

For the 2nd goal:

>50 trained members

Methodology:

Methodology:

1-Set up the goals,objectives and evaluation methods for the campaign.

2-Initiate the call for an OC and select its members.

3-Prepare a detailed logistics list, decide on the budget and divide the tasks on the OC members.

4-Set up the date and the possible locations for the campaign.

5-Start contacting sponsors and TV channels for visibility and media coverage.

6-Preparing and designing brochures and booklets as well as the material for the training sessions

7-Secure trainers for the sessions.

8-Acquire the permission for visiting the schools,hospitals and malls.

9-Purchasing all the materials and needs for the whole campaign and training sessions.

9-Initiate the members’ training sessions.

10-Prepare and record 2 awareness videos.

11-Undergo the 2 secured TV interviews.

12-Execution of the campaign.

Plans for evaluation:

-In the training sessions a written pre and post evaluation form prepared by the trainers to assess member’s knowledge and their live performance for the screening techniques was assessed instantly by the doctors.

A written feedback at the end to assess the methodology and see if they enjoyed while learning occurred.(>90% expressed their satisfaction)

-Concerning the lectures to students,we verbally assessed them by asking them questions before and after regarding the content of the session. The same goes for the gestational DM lecture.

-Concerning the public awareness stands,every person encountered was asked about their knowledge and a short questionnaire was provided to collect feedback(95%expressed their full satisfaction)

-About the teaching methods for screening,a live evaluation occured by watching the people apply themselves the taught techniques and correcting any errors.

The results were immense (70% difference) for the training sessions,lectures and live tutoring.