Arogya World has launched a major diabetes prevention mobile health (mHealth) program in India in association with Nokia. This program aims to create awareness about diabetes and its prevention across India with the help of text messages in multiple languages. The program has the target of reaching about one million consumers in rural and urban India in a period of next two years.
The announcement regarding this program came from Arogya World at Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting. Arogya World is non-profit organization based in the US and is dedicated to change the course of chronic disease, one community at a time. Arogya World has always advocated for prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the world. The organization is also trying to create awareness about diabetes prevention through lifestyle changes in India.
One of the first nationwide diabetes mHealth initiatives in a developing country, the effort is supported by a consortium of prominent organizations from multiple sectors in India and the US, including Emory University, Synovate, Biocon, LifeScan, Inc., and Aetna.
The commitment takes on a special significance at this time as world leaders gather this week at the United Nations to discuss how to address the global impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes.
India is a diabetes capital: 50 million Indians live with the disease and 1 million die from it every year. Fortunately, there is compelling clinical proof that diabetes is largely preventable – 80% of diabetes cases can be prevented, for example by avoiding tobacco, increasing physical activity, and improving diets.
“Tough challenges in global health can be best addressed through public-private partnerships – no one organization can do it alone,” said Nalini Saligram, Ph.D., founder of Arogya World. “Arogya World is committed to preventing diabetes through lifestyle changes in India, and is leveraging mHealth as a solution to the diabetes crisis. If found effective, our mHealth efforts in India could potentially serve as a benchmark for chronic disease prevention in developing countries, where diabetes and NCDs have the highest impact.”
In executing its commitment, Arogya World will provide free content for six months to both current and new Nokia customers in India who have Nokia Life Tools on their phones and subscribe to Nokia’s health channels. Messages will be delivered as text message alerts, twice a week, in 12 different languages commonly used in the country. Once the initial program is over, the consumers will have the opportunity to opt-in to receive the diabetes awareness and prevention messages at a nominal fee.
“Mobile phones are ushering in an information revolution in the daily lives of millions, especially in the emerging markets. We are very pleased to partner with Arogya World and the other industry partners to take mobile Health services to the next level. Delivering targeted diabetes prevention messages to a profiled audience using our Nokia Life Tools platform, in a sustained and continuous engagement will, we believe, encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle,” said Jawahar Kanjilal, Global Head, Nokia Life Tools.
All partners are making deep and significant contributions towards this commitment. Nokia is providing the innovative Nokia Life Tools platform, a broad reach to consumers throughout India, and is also subsidizing program costs and making available an elaborate translation and transmission infrastructure. Arogya World is developing the diabetes awareness and prevention messages with a strong emphasis on science and behaviour change in partnership with Emory University, and is reviewing them for cultural relevancy and technical accuracy with members of its Behaviour Change Task Force.
