UCOL Te Pūkenga has launched a new online course to help people better understand diabetes and the risks associated with it.
The course, called Diabetes Explained, is available through FutureLearn. FutureLearn is an online platform where education providers and specialist organisations upload courses that people can do in their own time. The courses are available to people around the world.
FutureLearn approached UCOL Te Pūkenga with a list of subject areas it did not have courses on, with diabetes being one of them.
Diabetes Explained will give learners a strong understanding of diabetes, which they can apply in their own lives or use to support friends and whānau with the condition.
The course covers the difference between type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, risk factors for diabetes, and health complications associated with the condition.
Each week, learners work their way through a range of articles, infographics, videos, and quizzes.
The course is free, or learners can choose to pay US$99.00 (approximately NZ$161.00) if they wish to receive a downloadable certificate of completion at the end of the course. The course is not assessed.
UCOL Te Pūkenga Health and Diabetes Lecturer Nicola Goss had been developing the course since September 2022.
Goss says the course is designed to increase people's awareness and understanding of diabetes. It would be particularly helpful for anyone who has recently been diagnosed as having prediabetes, or know that they are at risk of getting the disease.
"Diabetes is a major health issue in New Zealand and around the world, but it is still surprising how little the general public know about it. This course makes information about diabetes accessible and easy to understand. A better understanding of diabetes is key in preventing the disease, helping those who live with it, and preventing other associated health issues such as heart attacks, amputations, strokes, and kidney failure," says Goss.
You can sign up for Diabetes Explained here.
Diabetes Statistics
- In 2020 there were 1111 diabetes-related amputations in New Zealand — three a day on average.
- Globally, 6.7 million people died from diabetes in 2021 — one person every five minutes on average.
- 50 percent of people who have diabetes do not know they have it.
- In 2019, an estimated US$760 billion was spent on diabetes care and treatments around the world.