Go Blue on the Border

An ongoing campaign that mirrors the International Diabetes Federation Go Blue media campaign for World Diabetes Day (WDD) created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

The Go Blue on the Border campaign mission is to create diabetes awareness along the US- Mexico Border with 3 core messages:

• Diabetes is serious
• Diabetes can be prevented and control
• The time is now to take action

In partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), ABC successfully implemented the Ambassador Program. This program aimed to foster Evidence-Based Research and Health Literacy Capacity among Health Science Students at UTEP. The primary objective was to equip Hispanic students with the skills to disseminate reliable health information to their extended family members in historically underserved Latino border communities.

 To achieve this, ABC designed and conducted a community engagement training program that complemented the evidence-based research and health literacy capacity building pilot. The goal was to enhance students’ health competencies, enabling them to conduct thorough and accurate health information searches based on scientific evidence. Additionally, the program sought to empower students to effectively transmit essential health messages to their family members and the broader community.

Given the significant diabetes burden in the El Paso region, the “Diabetes Garages” initiative was highlighted as a successful diabetes self-management program. Through continued collaboration with UTEP, ABC actively participated in the development of curricula for this program. As a result, the Diabetes Garage provided a supportive space for men living with diabetes to engage in open discussions and seek guidance on managing their health. Leveraging vehicle analogies to explain diabetes, this initiative has attracted over 100 men, achieving an impressive retention rate of 85%.

 Furthermore, within this collaboration, ABC has taken on the role of the Lead Trainer for the Spanish Workshop component, further strengthening their commitment to improving health outcomes and fostering health literacy within the Hispanic community.