A new Facebook game is combining social networking with important lifestyle and nutritional tips for Latinos living with diabetes.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month and with Latinos twice as likely than Caucasians to develop this chronic disease, the newly unveiled game HealthSeeker™ Explorando tu Salud, Paso a Paso on Facebook, is looking to reverse this trend by encouraging players to enlist their “friends” as sources of inspiration and ongoing encouragement in improving their understanding and management of diabetes.
The game was introduced November 14th, which marks World Diabetes Day.
“World Diabetes Day is a perfect time to educate the diabetes community about their health,” Manny Hernandez, president of the Diabetes Hands Foundation, also a diabetic, said. “I know how much having support of friends and family both online and offline can mean to those living with a chronic disease, particularly Latinos.”
Ayogo Games, Inc. designed the game. Experts, advocates and industry partners who are on the front lines of diabetes care teamed up to come up with the game. The Diabetes Hands Foundation, in collaboration with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Joslin Latino Diabetes Initiative, with support provided by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. developed Healthseeker.
“I am passionate about helping Latinos battle diabetes and its risk factors and am always looking for new ways to motivate my patients,” Dr. Enrique Caballero, endocrinologist, investigator and director from the Joslin Latino Diabetes Initiative, said. “This innovative game has a lot of potential to help people with diabetes make more informed lifestyle decisions.”
The game can also be accessed free of charge at www.ExplorandoTuSalud.org.
Excellent way to educate people.