Take a S.T.A.N.D. for Diabetes

Start Taking Action Now for Diabetes (STAND) is a new social marketing initiative of Taking Control Of Your Diabetes. STAND is the product of a two-day social marketing summit on diabetes attended earlier this year by diaTribe editor Kelly Close. Its goal is to improve awareness of the disease and promote a healthier environment for its prevention and management.

The needs are obvious: With restaurant menus rarely serving dishes designed for balanced nutrition, with school lunches offering poor choices, and with insufficient public education to help individuals recognize symptoms of diabetes, America is doing a poor job on many fronts in helping people understand diabetes and the importance of blood sugar control. Through social marketing, STAND is designed to address these concerns by forming a community of individuals that will help educate, influence, and motivate others in everyday life. "The diabetes epidemic continues out of control, so we want to use the latest in social marketing to help tame and control this ancient disease,” said Dr. Steven Edelman, the founder and director of TCOYD, who also has type 1 diabetes and was the first member of diaTribe's advisory board. "STAND is a new national movement that uses social marketing to encourage people to think and act differently, ultimately creating a more supportive and influential environment for people living with diabetes. STAND strives to promote health-seeking behaviors and establish blood sugar management as a popularly understood and nationally embraced health goal."

Everyone is encouraged to take the STAND pledge and to start a movement among patients and friends to take control of their blood sugar levels today.