How Social Media Plays a Part in Diabetes and Different Support Services

Introduction

At present, I am completing a bachelors degree in the health science profession with an expected graduation date of 2025. In addition, I also have extensive professional experience in various capacities in this field of study as well as social media platforms which have contributed to my interest in addressing major public health concerns, including chronic diseases such as diabetes which is the focus of the funding request. Beyond the foregoing qualifications, I am also passionate about identifying opportunities to leverage innovations in social media technologies in ways that provide cost-effective, evidence-based strategies for helping diabetes sufferers better manage their condition for the multiple reasons that are discussed further below.

Needs Statement:

As reported previously, diabetes has only been tracked through glucose meters and wearable (sensor-based) devices in recent years (Sohail et al., 2022). While these devices provide critical real-time data, they have limitations. Glucose levels fluctuate frequently, so sporadic measurements from meters and sensors fail to capture the complete picture. Further, most of these devices also do not track lifestyle factors that impact glucose control, such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress. In sum, many diabetes patients are left guessing how their behaviors influence their disorder. These are vitally important public health issues given the prevalence and harmful effects of diabetes. In this regard, the Diabetes Research Institute reports that:

37.3 million people, or 11.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes;

Approximately 8.6 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed;

Diabetes impacts all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.

Nearly half (48.8%) or 26.4 million people aged 65 years or older have prediabetes (Diabetes statistics, 2024).

Social media platforms have the potential to greatly improve diabetes monitoring and management. By empowering patients to self-report blood glucose readings, symptoms, lifestyle behaviors, and other health data through online platforms and mobile apps, more comprehensive diabetes profiles can be built. Combining...

Patients and providers can analyze trends and patterns not discernible from device data alone, enabling enhanced treatment adjustments and lifestyle coaching. Furthermore, the social aspect, education resources, and motivation tools inherent in social platforms support improved patient engagement, adherence, and outcomes (Yaagoob et al., 2023).

In sum, social health platforms help overcome the fragmented, retrospective view of stand-alone devices to drive more proactive, holistic diabetes care. For instance, a study by Mohamed and Shoufan (2024) surveyed 3,000 YouTube users to determine the frequency of their health-related content (HRC) viewing habits...

…highly cost-effective yet underutilized resource that can empower diabetes patients with the knowledge and motivation they need to better manage this chronic condition. The research also showed that traditional monitoring through glucose meters and wearables fails to provide a complete, integrated view of the lifestyle factors impacting diabetes control. Patient-driven data inputs through social health apps and sites, combined with device metrics, support the creation of personalized diabetes dashboards to enable improved treatment decisions and self-care. Securing grant funding will facilitate the launch and promotion of the platform to reach those suffering from diabetes across the country.

In this era of near-universal social media access, it is incumbent on healthcare leaders in every field to reach out and meet patients where they are already connecting online. Supporting diabetes communities with timely, evidence-based resources for information, motivation, and improved self-care through social platforms aligns with larger trends towards patient empowerment and personalized, holistic care. The model for leveraging social technologies to overcome existing limitations around diabetes monitoring and management discussed above represents an important opportunity to achieve the most bang for the grant buck by taking advantage of the authors extensive social media usage, empirical observations and professional experience in the health field to develop, implement and administer this project in a highly visible and consumer-friendly…