Free diabetes education available on WhatsApp: 'It should not be killing anyone, it's manageable'
Sweet Life (the largest online diabetes community in the country) has partnered with Unu Health to launch a diabetes chatbot to help people navigate diabetes and hopefully save more lives.
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Gugs Mhlungu spoke to founder of Sweet Life, Bridget McNulty.
Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.
Did you know diabetes is the leading cause of death in women and the second leading cause of death in men in South Africa?
People are said to be dying unnecessarily because they don't fully understand their condition.
November is National Diabetes Month, which aims to raise awareness of the impact of diabetes on both the physical and mental health of people affected.
The month is also dedicated to teaching people about the five symptoms of diabetes, which are:
- Needing to pee a lot (especially at night)
- Thirst
- Hunger
- Exhaustion
- Weight loss
World Diabetes Day is observed on 14 November and the public is encouraged to wear blue in support of the fight against diabetes.
To educate and empower people with knowledge about diabetes, Sweet Life (the largest online diabetes community in the country) has partnered with Unu Health to launch a diabetes chatbot to help people navigate diabetes and hopefully save more lives.
"We've taken all the basics of what you need to know if you've just been diagnosed, the information about what diabetes is and then healthy eating advice, exercise advice, critical mental health advice and all of this is backed by our panel of experts. We've put all of that into a WhatsApp chatbot. So you can message the word 'hi' and then there's a list of questions you can choose from and you get these short bite-sized easy to understand answers to all your diabetes questions but also crucially to all your healthy living questions."
- Bridget McNulty, founder of Sweet Life
The Sweet Life Chatbot is available exclusively through the free Unu Health app (only 2.7MB).
The chatbot, which allows you to chat on WhatsApp, is currently available in English and the Zulu version will be launched on 14 November (World Diabetes Day).
Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to download the app.
"Diabetes is so hard, it's 24/7 365 ...but if you have the right information and if you have the right support and you have access to the right care, you can live a happy, healthy life with diabetes."
- Bridget McNulty, founder of Sweet Life
"Diabetes should not be killing anyone. It's not a lethal condition at all. It's a manageable condition, with the right care, which we have in South Africa - we have access to the right care and right medication. If type 2 diabetes is diagnosed early enough it's preventable, you can turn around by changing your diet and lifestyle..."
- Bridget McNulty, founder of Sweet Life
"One in two South Africans with diabetes are undiagnosed. So it's not the people with diabetes who are the only ones we need to reach, we really need to reach as many people as possible."
- Bridget McNulty, founder of Sweet Life
Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.