Ascensia Diabetes Care launches global social media campaign

BASEL, Switzerland - Ascensia Diabetes Care on Saturday expressed its support for World Diabetes Day by launching a global social media awareness initiative to highlight the positive role of mobile technology in the management of diabetes. The initiative is designed to reach a global audience via social media channels and mobilize members of the public to support World Diabetes Day by using their mobile phones to raise awareness of diabetes.



"We are very excited to be participating in our first World Diabetes Day as a standalone company," stated Michael Kloss, CEO of Ascensia Diabetes Care. "We are proud to lend our support to raising awareness for this condition. As a company that is 100% focused on diabetes, we are passionate about helping to improve the lives of people with diabetes."



As part of the initiative, Ascensia has taken photos of their employees, people with diabetes, healthcare professionals and members of the public in various locations worldwide using illuminated mobile phones to spell out the word "DIABETES."



The use of mobile devices in diabetes management is increasing, with more and more people with diabetes using their mobile devices to help manage and track their condition. A survey of 909 people with diabetes in several European countries has shown that 71% of people with diabetes own a smartphone, 42% of them are using their smartphones for health or prescription drug information and 52% of them who are using a health or wellness app say they have changed their behavior as a result. Advances in mobile technology are making it easier to collect, share and draw insights from collected and analyzed information, empowering patients to help manage their condition using applications that seamlessly integrate into their lives.



"Diabetes is a difficult disease to manage and there are many challenges for patients and healthcare professionals across the world," Kloss said. "We believe that digital tools and mobile devices have the potential to help individuals consistently track their condition, by providing accurate, actionable information that may facilitate diabetes management."



The theme of World Diabetes Day 2016 is "Eyes on Diabetes", promoting the importance of screening to encourage early diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes, and help reduce the risk of serious complications. The use of mobile devices with diabetes management apps may help support testing and long-term management of diabetes.