D. Kawthar Eid
The Bahrain Diabetes Society is one of the important national pillars in promoting health awareness and preventing diabetes, which is one of the most common chronic diseases.
Since its founding, the Society has paid great attention to health education, and has adopted a clear vision aimed at enabling individuals to understand the nature of the disease, methods of preventing it, and properly dealing with its complications, to be a pioneering model in community health work.
The association’s role is highlighted in organizing continuous awareness campaigns throughout the year, targeting various segments of society, including children, youth, and the elderly, in addition to patients and their families.
These campaigns range from educational lectures, workshops, and free examinations in commercial complexes, schools, and government and private institutions, which contribute to delivering health messages in a simple and direct manner.
The association also activates its participation in global events, most notably World Diabetes Day on November 14 of each year, where it launches broad national events that highlight the slogan of the year approved by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation.
The association’s role is not limited to awareness-raising only, but extends to building effective community partnerships with health, educational and media institutions, to ensure the sustainability of the impact and spread the health culture more widely.
The association also works to train specialized volunteer cadres capable of communicating with society in a close language and in an influential manner, which enhances the spirit of initiative and responsibility among Bahraini youth.
Another ongoing effort is to focus on nutritional education and a healthy lifestyle, through campaigns that encourage physical activity, conscious food choices, and reducing the consumption of sugar and soft drinks.
The association is also interested in directing diabetic patients towards regular follow-up and care of their feet, teeth and eyes, to avoid serious complications that can be prevented with early awareness.
The sustainable impact that these efforts have had is represented by significantly raising the level of community awareness in recent years, increasing demand for early examinations, and improving patients’ commitment to treatment and a healthy lifestyle.
The campaigns also contributed to changing the stereotyped image of diabetes from being a chronic disease to a condition that can be successfully lived with through knowledge and prevention.
The Bahrain Diabetes Association represents a national model in health volunteer work, combining science and practice, awareness and influence, and making its mission of health education an ongoing approach to building a more aware and healthy society.
The sustainability of its impact is achieved not only through activities, but through awareness that is rooted in new generations, so that Bahrain remains a model in combating diabetes in cooperation and integration between society and institutions.
