Results from the first of our Healthy Schools program year are in. They show that when diabetes awareness and prevention messages are delivered to middle school children by trained teachers and peer-leaders using age-appropriate, creative and compelling educational modules, they are effective in increasing both awareness of diabetes and its seriousness.

We know that the right nutrition from pregnancy to a child’s 2nd birthday (the 1,000 day window made popular by the 1000 Days partnership) can have “a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn, and rise out of poverty.” Many scholars now agree that we can influence the life-long health of the child, and even prevent chronic diseases, by intervening during this period.

Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Francine Kaufman is a distinguished researcher in the field of childhood diabetes, known for her intelligence, energy and dedication to diabetes care, research and advocacy – and also a member of the Arogya World Behavior Change Task Force. She’s been writing about her experiences in post-earthquake Haiti. With her permission, we’ve composed the following excerpt from one of her letters from the field.

Arogya World founder Nalini Saligram met Seun Adebiyi at the GTF.CCC (Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control) “Closing the Cancer Divide” conference in Boston on October 28, 2011. And she was immediately taken by his story, his drive and his eloquence. “This young man’s sheer grit, determination and incredibly positive attitude to life are inspiring to all,” said Nalini. To mark World Cancer Day, Feb 4, we are pleased to share his inspiring story, and how he’s turning a personal challenge into a better chance for survival for others.

In September of 2011, we announced a new mHealth commitment at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting. In partnership with Nokia Life Tools we pledged to reach at least 1 million users of Nokia Life Tools in India with compelling messages about diabetes prevention, developed in conjunction with experts at Emory University. On Monday, January 9, 2012, the first diabetes prevention text messages were sent to the first of the 1 million consumers we have promised to reach – a very exciting milestone.

Organized by Arogya World in partnership with HRIDAY, and with support from Salesworth India Pvt. Ltd., three hundred school children participated in a week-long city-wide poster-making competition in selected schools throughout New Delhi on the dual occasion of Children’s Day and World Diabetes Day (WDD) on November 14th, 2011.

A compelling new video – going viral on the Internet as we speak – asks the question, what’s the single best thing you can do for your health? The answer, according to narrator Dr. Mike Evans, is to limit your sitting and sleeping in other words your periods of inactivity to 23 ½ hours a day.

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