Prevention of Diabetes and Complications

Diabetes Education and its Risk Factors

Diabetes Education: It includes diabetes education modules. The Diabetes Education Modules (2011) contain more than 800 slides and detailed speaker notes to reflect the objectives contained in the International Curriculum for Health Professionals Education. Health professionals anywhere in the world can adopt this resource to develop diabetes education programmes for other health professionals.

The consistent, evidence-based research and information provided in these materials are designed to help educators gain recognition for their training and assure governments and education organisations that the education programmes they offer are of a high standard.

Risk Factors: The risk factors for type 1 diabetes are still being researched. However, having a family member with type 1 diabetes slightly increases the risk of developing the disease. Environmental factors and exposure to some viral infections have also been linked to the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Several risk factors have been associated with type 2 diabetes and include:

• Family history of diabetes
• Overweight
• Unhealthy diet           
• Physical inactivity
• Increasing age
• High blood pressure
• Ethnicity
• Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)
• History of gestational diabetes
• Poor nutrition during pregnancy