Background Information

The numbers of young people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in Scotland has trebled over the past 30 years. The Northern rural areas have a higher incidence rate than the urban central and Lowland areas for reasons that are as yet unknown. Delivering education to young adults in these areas has presented us with challenges to overcome of accessibility, acceptability and efficacy.

There have been some educational initiatives delivered by video and sponsored by the Scottish Executive that provide an overview of diabetes, touching on some of the problems of living with diabetes.

We have responded to our particular challenges in the Highlands by providing an educational programme via the Internet that is designed initially to equip young people with the knowledge that they require to respond to acute situations that can arise during times of illness. Delivering the programme on the Internet provides equity of access to young people no matter how remote their location. Internet access is available at home, school and at community access points.

In the following sections we describe our approach and provide information about this project. If you have any questions please Contact Us.

All young people aged between 12 and 20 years were invited to participate in this pilot project. Those who choose to complete the programme have had the opportunity to assess their own knowledge using the incorporated interactive tool. These young people have empowered themselves to respond correctly to a potentially life threatening situation.