TACKLING THE GROWING CASES OF DIABETES AMONG YOUNG ADULTSTHROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED TELE-COUNSELLING ON FOOD-INTAKE

Abstract

The incidence of diabetes is continuously growing worldwide. Nigeria is no exception, as the early debut of diabetes has been recorded among young adults. This study examined the growing cases of diabetes among young adults through social media-based tele-counselling on food intake. The study adopted the survey method to retrieve data from respondents using a free online Google form link. An online self-administered questionnaire was adopted to collect data for this study. Findings showed that telemedicine counselling approaches initiate and sustain health education and promotion. Findings also showed that telemedicine counselling approaches reduce disparities in diabetes patients' healthcare delivery system. It is recommended that the use of social media for telemedicine counselling approaches in the treatment plans of patients with diabetes must be initiated and sustained in Nigeria. More attention must be given to the classless nature of social media-based telemedicine counselling approaches for patients of diabetes, and therefore, its use must be made to be more user-friendly between the rich and the poor, literate and illiterate patients of diabetes.