By Morgan Roan
University of Georgia

A new CD-ROM, “Focus on Diabetes,” can help people learn at
their own pace about diabetes and how to manage it.

The CD was originally developed for county extension agents to
be trained about diabetes, said Connie Crawley, an Extension
Service nutrition and health specialist with the University of
Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

However, the agents suggested a similar CD would be a good tool
to educate the community.

The new interactive CD tells all about managing diabetes. Nine
lessons show how to plan meals, exercise, take medications,
monitor blood sugar, prevent complications and cope with the
disease. There’s even a lesson on relatives’ common concerns.

The program is formatted somewhat like a Web page. “It contains
a series of fun activities,” Crawley said.

“The program uses three characters that represent the three
types of diabetes, Type-1, Type-2 and gestational,” she
said. “The viewer can learn about the different types of
diabetes and how they are managed by reading and answering
questions related to each of the characters.”

The animated characters and simple language make the CD fun and
easy to understand.

You can buy the CD-ROM for $15 or borrow one for a small fee
from the county office of the UGA Extension Service, Crawley
said.

To buy one, send a check made out to the UGA Cooperative
Extension Service with a request for the “Focus on Diabetes” CD
to Agricultural Business Office, 215 Conner Hall, Athens, GA
30602.

“The project took one year to create. It will be a great
educational source to learn about diabetes,” Crawley said.

Diabetes affects more than 18 million people in the United
States. About 13 million people have been diagnosed with it. An
estimated 5.2 million don’t know they have it.

The disease causes high blood sugar levels due to a lack of
insulin or the body’s inability to use insulin effectively.
Insulin breaks down sugar and starches into energy the body
uses to function normally.

No one knows the exact cause of diabetes. Both environmental
factors and genetics, though, appear to play a role in it.

(Morgan Roan is a student writer with the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)