The research is based on the experience of the project “Sweeten my life, not my body” was founded ten years ago by a young group for promoting meetings monthly to orientate and educate healthy life style in young people & their relatives leaving with diabetes. The dynamic of this project is based on workshops, conferences and group exchange, through the philosophy of living experience education; guided by the Cuban endocrinologist Dr. Manuel Vera González and under the framework of the Diabetes Integral Attention Center of Cuba. Systematize the experience in education and integrated care on diabetes in Cuba, through the project “Sweeten my life, not my body”. Develop a proposal for a program of diabetes education, taking as reference the Cuban Project experience “Sweeten my life, not my body”. Combine the Qualitative and Quantitative perspectives. Supported by inquiries, semi structured interviews, focal groups, observation and bibliographic analysis. Guided by systematized experiences. As the main result we elaborated a program for experiences in education and integrated care on diabetes that could be useful as reference for similar projects.
Aim

Systematize the experience in education and integrated care on diabetes in Cuba, through the project “Sweeten my life, not my body”.

Develop a proposal for a program of diabetes education, taking as reference the Cuban Project experience “Sweeten my life, not my body”.
Method

Combines the Qualitative and Quantitative perspectives. Supported by inquiries, semi structured interviews, focal groups, observation and bibliographic analysis. Guided by systematized experiences.
Results

As the main result we elaborated a program for experiences in education and integrated care on diabetes that could be useful as reference for similar projects.    
Discussion

The experience has shown that the effective way for group integration is by doctor’s recommendation, as a direct result of the regular appointments. Although the medias has been other way of promotion.

The ages rank are between 10 and 60 years old, but the teenagers and young adults are more numerous.  

The average of time living with diabetes of the participants is between 5 and 15.

 The educative work strategy has contain several subjects focus on achieving an integral vision about diabetes. The multiple themes treated in this seven years respond to the basics needs from the members and their families who lived with diabetes. 

 The 54 workshop and the 12 conferences that has been given are based on the following topics:
1.    Living with diabetes: Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia, Sweetening, Foot care, Oral cavity care.
2.    Fashion and diabetes: Piercing and tattoos, Physical exercise.
3.    Diabetes and sexuality: Couple and diabetes, Pregnancy and diabetes, Sexual infections and contraceptives.
4.    Nutrition and diabetes: Healthy feeding, sweeten the spirit, not the body.
5.    Myths and prejudgment: The family facing diabetes, the self-esteem, the stress.
6.    Good and bad practice: What to do in emergencies?

The parents were more interested on the following themes:

What to do in emergencies? Healthy feeding, Hypoglycemia, Hyperglycemia and Diabetes treatment advancement.

The general opinion of the parent concerning the group function is that the topics has good acceptance, and the educative and therapeutic function of the group is achieved.

The young people agrees with their parents, but they also are interested in other topics such as:  Pregnancy and diabetes, Physical exercise, Piercing and tattoos, Diabetes treatment advancement

 The project has shown a social impact, which is perceptible through four TV presentations, one of them in a youth program named “Das mas” dedicated to the group. Furthermore, it has involved in the International Endocrinology Congress in 2015. Recently, one of the members elaborated a software program to help manage glucotest. Also, another member make the logotype of the group. The group also has made an promotional audiovisual.

Seven years of experience in education and integrated care on diabetes in Cuba: project “Sweeten my life, not my body”