D-PATH

The latest data published in the IDF Diabetes Atlas 9th edition show that 463 million adults are currently living with diabetes. Without sufficient action to address the pandemic, 578 million people will have diabetes by 2030. Three in four people living with diabetes are of working age. This generates a growing human impact and will also drive a serious and expanding strain on productivity and economic growth in the coming decades. An estimated 1.1 million children and adolescents (aged under 20) have type 1 diabetes.Diabetes is currently one of the most psychologically burdensome chronic diseases. This is a family disease, because if diagnosed, it significantly affects everyday life and habits not only of the ill person, but also of other family members. Health education is therefore, one of the essential elements of diabetes therapy, constituting a long-term process, requiring many repetitions of educational cycles. The D-PATH project is a response to these needs. Our objective in this project was to research the needs of people with diabetes, their families and educators because the bottom-up project like ours and peer-learning with the support of the family is a clue for diabetes treatment.

Our objective was to research the needs of people with diabetes, their families and educators to help the first group become socially included. We planned to use the knowledge gained throughout the life cycle of that project in a big scale partnership in order to create e-learning tools e.g. a mobile application and a dietary and sport activities. Therefore, our aim was to strengthen people with diabetes and their families and give them space to self-advocate through the joint creation of the outputs and project results. 3 sets of assessments were planned– first for the prototype of a board game; second assessment to help us adapt existing training plans to our target groups needs and third assessment on dietary and physical health situation in partner countries. D-PATH addressed social inclusion. It was designed to be a bottom-up project created by people with diabetes. D-PATH was a response to Sustainable Development Goals - 1/3 reduction in noncommunicable disease mortality through prevention and promotion of well-being lifestyle. When researching we saw that more had to be done to create upskilling pathways, improving accessibility and increasing take-up of adult education in the field of diabetes.

In our D-PATH project we implemented the following activities: 1. BOARD GAME PROTOTYPE, 2. RAISING AWARENESS GAMES ON NUTRITION FOR DIABETICS, 3. DISSEMINATION, 4. RESEARCH FOR THE GAME, TRAINING FOR DIABETES/FAMILIES AND D-CAMP TRAINING ACTIVITIES, 5. MOBILITY IN POLAND, 6. MOBILITY IN ROMANIA. We had people with diabetes involved in the activities mainly at two critical moments - helping to design the game during theworkshop with the Swedish partner during mobility to Poland for the D-CAMP and then during a testing period and during mobility to Romania where we have tested the prototype, the LEGO and robotics and training with the Personal Development Trainers, Dietician and other stakeholders. All activities were planned in a way that they interconnect and support one another. We carried out all the activities stated, namely a board game prototype, mobility in Poland during the D-CAMP for people with Diabetes type 1; video tutorials, research and mobility to Romania. Sound planning gave us multiplied the outcomes of both Mobilities - Polish and Romanian one. On one hand, our D-CAMP project was internationalized. On the other, our D-PATH project partners could gather hands-on experience concerning diabetes.

The MAIN results of our D-PATH project which were specified in the project proposal are: board game prototype; the educational modules and tools based on the use of ICT, LEGO and Robotics; video tutorial on how to use LEGO and Robotics; video tutorial on diet to explain the chemical impact of food on people affected by diabetes. But we have NUMEROUS, ADDITIONAL concrete outputs and specifically - 60 of them - that will be uploaded to the results portal as an Excel list. Among them: 1st Radio program by Radio Rzeszów, program hosted by Ms. Bernadeta Szczypta; 2nd Radio program by Radio Rzeszów, program hosted by Ms. Bernadeta Szczypta; Online bulletin of the Polish Diabetes Association - printed version, Interview with Marek Kamiński, Project inauguration meeting, D-CAMP fanpage posts, D-PATH fanpage posts, Article in Życie Podkarpackie 24/08/2022, Project Instagram, National Federation of NGOs (OFOP) publication; D-PATH project newsletter, Visit of the Office of the Financial Mechanism of the EEA and Norwegian Funds and the Regional Operator of the Active Citizens Fund in Poland; Blog post by Alina Sulicu - a D-CAMP staff from Romania; D-PATH project website; Evaluation surveys, Letters of Intent signed with stakeholders etc.