Nick Jonas Priyanka Chopra amplify diabetes awareness grassroots support key Beyond Type 1 exec

New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) American singer-actor Nick Jonas and his wife, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, have played an important role in taking the conversation around diabetes to a wider audience, but translating that visibility into meaningful change requires stronger grassroots networks and access to healthcare, says a senior executive of global non-profit Beyond Type 1.

    Kristian Hurley, Executive Vice President, Social Impact and Global Advocacy at Beyond Type 1, said Jonas, who co-founded the organisation after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, has worked to raise awareness about the condition and challenge the stigma surrounding it.

    Priyanka, who is a board member of the organisation, has also been an important voice in its awareness initiatives, particularly in India.

    "Awareness and some of this spotlight that individuals like Nick put on it really opens the door to people listening and paying attention and seeking the support that they need. But it's the community infrastructure, the local partners, the individuals on the ground, the ambassadors and the local clinics that really help to walk people through that door and ensure that they get the care and support that they need," Hurley told PTI Videos in an interview on World Diabetes Day, observed annually on November 14.

    She said the couple's involvement went beyond lending their names to the cause, as they had contributed their time and work to raising awareness and changing perceptions about the condition.

    "Priyanka, although she doesn't live with diabetes, has been a huge voice for the work that we have done in India, again, to elevate the lived experience of people who are living with diabetes," Hurley said.

    She added that stigma remained one of the biggest barriers to early and accurate diagnosis in India, particularly among women and girls.

    Beyond Type 1, which began as a community of people living with type 1 diabetes, has evolved into a global platform working across the entire journey, from early detection to helping people manage the condition and live well.

    As part of its India outreach, the organisation launched the Beyond Barriers India programme, also called Grassroots to Global by its local partners.

    It is a nationally coordinated effort led by HRIDAY, along with five clinical implementation partners and grassroots organisations across Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

    Hurley said the organisation's 2025 stigma campaign reached 1.4 million people nationwide through its partners.

    It also recruited more than 200 community ambassadors and developed 18 multilingual resources in collaboration with its Indian partners to help people manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

    The ambassador network has since grown to approximately 240 people across several states.

    These ambassadors are being trained to support individuals at different stages of their diabetes journey, including those who have recently been diagnosed and those who may have been living with the condition for years without adequate education and support.

    The organisation has also taken its awareness initiatives to schools and healthcare facilities.

    In 10 government schools in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 8,654 students have been reached and 212 teachers and staff members trained to recognise the signs of diabetes and ensure that people are connected to screening and care.

    In Chennai, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation hosted a peer network day for 150 people with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers. In Bengaluru, peer mentorship programmes are being conducted with partners at Diacon Hospital, which is also providing insulin supplies and weekly check-ins.

    Hurley said building a network of clinics in key states, with access to insulin, diabetes educators, endocrinologists and peer-support facilities, was among the organisation's key priorities in India.

    "One of the things that we have been working on with our partners is screening. We want to make sure that our partners are providing information in schools and clinics in their communities around the signs of diabetes," she said.

    The organisation is also training its ambassadors to help people navigate a diagnosis and understand how to manage the condition, she added.

    Hurley said the initiative was particularly important for those who had been living with diabetes without receiving adequate information or guidance on managing it.

    She said around 800 million adults worldwide were living with diabetes, while approximately 43 per cent of adults with the condition globally were unaware of their diagnosis.

    "Knowing sooner really allows people to be able to have better outcomes post that diagnosis," Hurley said.

    She said Beyond Type 1's work was aimed at removing barriers to diagnosis and care while ensuring that people living with diabetes understood that the condition was not a personal failing and did not limit their potential.

    "We are really focusing on making sure that people who have a diagnosis of diabetes understand that it is not their fault. This is not a personal failing of any kind. It does not limit your potential and with the right support, you can be able to live a very full life beyond your diabetes diagnosis," she said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)