Youth workshop held at 3Ws during National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is recognised as Diabetes Awareness Month and there was a special youth continuing medical education seminar held over the weekend.

 

For almost twenty years, speaker and youth advocate, Krystal Boyea has been living with diabetes. Throughout her life and travels, Boyea during her opening remarks said that she has learnt a lot about herself because of diabetes. She revealed that in the past, the general conception was that youth with diabetes are only Type 1 but this has changed due to high incidences of childhood obesity. She said more children are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes every day.

 

“[As a young person] having diabetes profoundly affects their productivity, quality of life, life expectancy and increases health care costs. Even in childhood, the medical expenditures of youth diabetes are approximately 6.2 times of those without diabetes,” said Boyea.

 

She ended her speech by reinforcing the importance of planning and providing quality health care for youth with diabetes in addition to educating and motivating the people with diabetes as well as those without the condition.

 

The full day diabetes in youth workshop was held at 3Ws Pavilion at UWI and featured presentations from diabetologist, Dr. Diane Brathwaite; endocrinologist, Dr. Carlisle Goddard; and paediatrician, Dr. Michelle Lashley. Also, the workshop covered topics such as “Diabetes 

in Children & Mental Health”, “Childhood Diabetes & The School”, “Working Lunch: Carbohydrate Counting...”, as well as featured testimonials from young people living with diabetes.