Laura’s* world changed forever when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just nine years old. Despite her young age, she quickly learned to manage her condition. However, her greatest challenge was the absence of support from her school peers and staff due to a need for diabetes education.
One day, a lack of diabetes awareness led to a devastating turn of events. A fellow student saw Laura with a syringe in the school bathroom, preparing to take her insulin. Uniformed and misinterpreting what she saw, the girl loudly accused Laura of taking drugs, alerting the entire school. Hearing this, school administrators reacted by telling Laura that “injecting insulin in the bathroom would alarm other students” and to use the cubicles instead.
Overwhelmed and feeling utterly alone, Laura left all her belongings and fled home. When she returned from work, Laura’s mother found her body. Aged only 14, she had taken her life.
Although awareness and education about diabetes in schools has become more widespread in recent years, this tragedy is a stark reminder of the ongoing need for greater awareness and school support systems. With rising diabetes prevalence among children and adolescents, educational institutions are increasingly seen as pivotal arenas for fostering understanding and support. However, a global survey by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) suggests alarming gaps in policies and initiatives for diabetes education within national school curricula.
According to global figures published by the IDF in 2021, 1.2 million children and adolescents live with type 1 diabetes, and 184,100 new cases are diagnosed each year. Although type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in children and adolescents worldwide, other forms of diabetes also occur, including type 2 diabetes and monogenic diabetes.
*Not her real name.
With rising diabetes prevalence among children and adolescents, educational institutions are increasingly seen as pivotal arenas for fostering understanding and support.
Earlier this year, the IDF Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) programme carried out a global survey among IDF national member associations to identify gaps in diabetes education. Responses were received from 128 IDF Members in 105 countries across all seven IDF regions. The key finding from the survey indicates that only 15% of respondents reported that their country has formal initiatives or policies mandating diabetes education in school curricula. This statistic underscores the need for diabetes education in educational frameworks worldwide.
By mandating diabetes education in schools, administrators and teachers can create a more supportive environment and prevent tragedies like Laura’s.
Young people diagnosed with diabetes often face unique challenges, both physically and emotionally. Educational settings can exacerbate these challenges or serve as supportive environments that help children and adolescents confidently manage their condition.
Schools are uniquely positioned to raise awareness about diabetes and promote healthy lifestyle choices to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. They can also create a supportive and safe environment for students living with diabetes. This means having clear procedures for handling diabetes-related incidents so staff can intervene effectively.
One common request from parents of children with diabetes is that schools employ a nurse or healthcare provider to manage diabetes-related emergencies and provide day-to-day support. A second request is to provide school staff with comprehensive diabetes education. Only 43% of survey respondents reported that their country has policies to educate school staff about diabetes, leaving many educators unprepared to support students.
Schools are uniquely positioned to raise awareness about diabetes and promote healthy lifestyle choices to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Despite recognising the importance of diabetes education, systemic, educational and societal barriers hinder effective implementation in schools. Limited resources and restrained budgets mean many educational institutions struggle to implement comprehensive diabetes education programmes. While 54% of survey respondents indicated that healthy nutrition education is compulsory in their country, in only half of these countries does it apply to all age groups.
Furthermore, over two-thirds (70%) of survey respondents reported that their country had no initiative or policy requiring diabetes education inclusion in school curricula so that students could receive basic information about diabetes symptoms, hyper and hypo episodes, and blood glucose levels.
This absence of a cohesive national policy can lead to fragmented efforts at the local level, resulting in disparate education and information.
Implementing comprehensive health education programmes is a twofold endeavour. It comprises incorporating diabetes education into health curricula to ensure all students receive foundational knowledge and hosting events for students, parents and staff to promote awareness and understanding of diabetes management and prevention.
In several IDF member countries, innovative programmes integrate diabetes education into school curricula. These programmes often include hands-on workshops with interactive sessions that teach students about diabetes management and healthy living.
One such example is the launch of the KiDS programme in Thailand in June of this year. The kick-off was marked by a one-day ‘Train the Trainers’ workshop for 60 diabetes stakeholders, who learned how to implement the programme in schools. Participants included teachers, healthcare professionals, nurse educators, representatives from the diabetes parents’ network and diabetes advocates.
A different approach was launched in China for children with type 1 diabetes and their parents. A series of half-day summer camps held in hospitals included specialised sessions on navigating the emotional and relational challenges of diabetes in a school environment. These camps are part of a KiDS initiative to partner with national diabetes associations to support families of children with diabetes and reinforce the importance of national policies that address diabetes education and care in schools.
In several IDF member countries, innovative programmes integrate diabetes education into school curricula.
Collaborating with diabetes associations
Partnerships with national and local diabetes associations and advocates can provide schools with educational materials and training programmes for staff.
In Ecuador, IDF Blue Circle Voice (BCV) advocate Roxana Vizcaíno organised a school diabetes education session presenting the different types of diabetes, the symptoms, management and prevention. Her son Sergio, a pupil at the school, shared his story of living with type 1 diabetes to raise awareness of the condition among his peers.
Following these awareness sessions, parents of children with diabetes often find that their children’s classmates become the best “diabetes buddies”. Françoise Georgel, a BCV advocate in Belgium, noticed how her son’s classmates became involved in his glucose monitoring, even checking his levels before sports practice after school.
Advocacy for change
Laura’s mother tried to educate her daughter’s school about diabetes. She provided all the medical reports, prescriptions, and instructions so that Laura could manage her condition during school hours. Her daughter only needed understanding from the school staff and an appropriate place to manage her condition. If the student who interrupted Laura in the school bathroom had received the necessary education, she would have reacted with understanding and compassion, and Laura would still be alive.
As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, addressing the gaps in diabetes education within schools is a collective responsibility. Advocating for policy can bridge this gap in diabetes education within schools. Stakeholders, including parents, educators and healthcare professionals, must collaborate to push for comprehensive national policies that mandate diabetes education in schools and training programmes for school administrators and teachers to support students with diabetes.
