World Diabetes Day is a global awareness campaign for diabetes which is held yearly on November 14th. The day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who laid the groundwork for the discovery of insulin in 1922.
Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
While the campaigns last the whole year, the day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best and John James Rickard MacLeod, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922. Each year a new theme is chosen by the IDF and for 2015 last year, the theme was healthy living.
As the disease is life-long and requires many lifestyle adjustments to be made; diet, exercise and medication all needs to be monitored and altered. In order to make the right decisions about behaviour when managing and living with diabetes, sufferers need to be correctly informed about the implications.
World Diabetes Day also aims to change education worldwide so that it provides the information people need in order to live with the condition and treat it carefully. Education is key to prevention.