Diabetes is rampant in India – 60 million-plus Indians are currently living with the disease and one million die from it each year. Furthermore, Indians tend to get the disease at an earlier age – often in their 30s and 40s – during their prime earning years.

In September, Arogya World announced that we have reached more than 1,000,000 people from all over India with a series of 56 diabetes prevention and education text messages in 12 languages, fulfilling a

Commitment we made at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting. Analysis of the program is ongoing, but initial results look very promising.

In 2012, Nokia Life helped Arogya World recruit 1,052,633 consumers who opted-in to receive mDiabetes text messages. Messages were provided free to subscribers twice a week for six months. Participants came from all over India and a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.

Arogya World developed the 56 text messages with Emory University in late 2011, based on science and behavior change theory, and then, with Ipsos, consumer-tested them in simulated conditions as well as in the real world. Nokia Life provided the translation and transmission infrastructure, and transmitted more than 56 million mDiabetes text messages to the consumers throughout 2012.

Following the program, consumers’ awareness of diabetes and its complications increased, and promising trends in behavior change included:

* An 11% increase in daily exercise

* A 15% increase in the intake of 2-3 servings of fruits a day

* An 8% increase in 2-3 servings of vegetables a day.

See on www.globalhealth.org