Health literacy matters in the fight against diabetes

Detailed summary

Exchanges like this are increasingly common in medical consultations. Diabetes status­­— diabetic or non-diabetic—has almost become a marker of adult health today. This is hardly…

Exchanges like this are increasingly common in medical consultations. Diabetes status­­— diabetic or non-diabetic—has almost become a marker of adult health today. This is hardly surprising as it can shape how doctors investigate symptoms, assess complications, prescribe medication, and plan treatment.

Diabetes, a non-communicable disease (NCD), is a long-term metabolic disorder that can progress silently and cause serious complications. Widespread underdiagnosis and challenges in long-term management make it a major public health concern. The International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) Diabetes Atlas, 11th Edition (2025) estimates that 1.39 crore adults aged 20-79 in Bangladesh were living with diabetes in 2024, of whom approximately 39.1 percent were undiagnosed. This presents a dual challenge: identifying those unaware of their condition and supporting diagnosed patients in managing it effectively.

The ever-evolving information environment further complicates the challenge. Social media and artificial intelligence have made health information more accessible, but its quality varies widely. Oversimplified claims, misleading treatment advice, and inaccurate AI-generated responses can confuse people and undermine informed decisions. This is where health literacy is essential. It goes beyond access to information to include the ability to find, understand, evaluate and use it when making decisions about prevention and treatment.

However, health literacy is not solely an individual responsibility. Medical jargon, rushed consultations, and unclear instructions can make self-management difficult for patients. They may also struggle to follow medical advice due to poor communication, treatment costs, limited access to testing, or other everyday constraints. This is why improving health literacy requires two-way communication: people need the skills to use health information, while health systems must communicate in ways that patients can understand and act upon.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.