A school-based program for diabetes prevention and management in India – project KiDS and diabetes in schools

Background: The purpose of this study is to describe the conceptualization and implementation of project KiDS and diabetes in schools (KiDS) in Delhi, India. Objective: Project KiDS was implemented to foster a supportive school environment for optimal management and care of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) through the adoption of healthy lifestyles. Methods: Project KiDS was initiated with a feasibility study (Phase-1); including a situational analysis through desk review of preexisting epidemiological data, national policies/existing projects focused on diabetes prevention and management for Indian school settings and in-depth Interviews with multiple stakeholders. In Phase-2, the international diabetes federation's global school diabetes information pack was culturally and contextually adapted, pretested and finalized for use in India and implemented in eight private and seven government (public) schools (Grades 1–9) of Delhi, India. Components included: training of school staff, follow-up educational activities with students, and engaging parents through social media. Results: In Phase-1, nine interviews were conducted with representatives from the Government and nongovernment organizations. Almost all respondents and literature emphasized the need to develop a comprehensive awareness program for the management of T1D and the prevention of T2D in schools. 1149 teachers were trained. Follow-up activities were conducted with 27,937 children. Over 80% of teachers were satisfied with the trainings. Conclusion: Positive feedback from trainings and implementation of project KiDS has important implications to feed into future programmatic and policy interventions for robust school-based diabetes management and prevention.