On 26 February, IDF Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) trainees Ricardo de Oliveira and Mariana Manita organised a Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) session at Escola Barbosa du Bocage in Setúbal, Portugal for students aged 12 to 15.
The YLD trainees had the unique opportunity to trial the new KiDS class plan that will be officially launched at the IDF World Diabetes Congress 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand on 7-10 April. Piloting the class plan allowed them to enhance its impact ahead of the global launch.
The event in Setúbal marks an important step in IDF’s goal to empower young leaders and ensure that schools are equipped with the knowledge and resources to support students with diabetes effectively.
According to figures published by the International Diabetes Federation in 2021, approximately 3,700 children and adolescents aged 0-19 were living with type 1 diabetes in Portugal.
The KiDS programme aims to bring diabetes education to schools to fight diabetes-related stigma and promote healthy lifestyles to tackle the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
An overview of diabetes education in Portugal
In Portugal, there are several initiatives and frameworks that indirectly address diabetes education and its integration into school curricula.
- The Portuguese Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education support school health programmes that focus on overall well-being and prevention and management of chronic conditions like diabetes.
- The Portuguese Diabetes Association (Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal – APDP) is active in promoting diabetes awareness and education at schools through workshops, campaigns and training sessions for students, parents and carers, school staff and educators.
- Portugal also has a National Diabetes Plan (Programa Nacional para a Diabetes). While the plan focuses on improving diabetes treatment and prevention, it encourages diabetes education in schools to raise awareness about healthy lifestyle choices for diabetes management and prevention.
