Pre-diabetes is a serious and growing public health concern, affecting approximately 88 million adults in the United States—that’s about 1 in 3 Americans—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even more alarming is the fact that the vast majority of these individuals are unaware they have the condition, which significantly increases their risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes and experiencing related complications such as heart disease, nerve damage, and vision loss. Despite the urgency of this issue, education surrounding pre-diabetes remains largely absent from our school health curriculums.

Currently, our health curriculum fails to equip students with the essential awareness, preventive strategies, and early management techniques needed to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. These gaps in education deprive students of the opportunity to build healthy, sustainable habits during some of the most formative years of their lives. Beyond the physical implications, this lack of information also affects students' mental and emotional well-being, as unmanaged chronic conditions often lead to stress, anxiety, and a diminished quality of life.

As institutions that shape young minds, schools have a responsibility to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to health education. Integrating pre-diabetes awareness into our curriculum is a necessary step toward ensuring students are better informed and empowered to take control of their health early on. Prevention begins with education—and schools are the perfect environment to foster that foundation.

To better understand students’ perspectives on this issue, we conducted a survey of 200 students in the Bay Ridge area. The findings were eye-opening:

• 81% of students believe schools should offer more education on pre-diabetes and diabetes, signaling a strong demand for better awareness.
• 69.5% reported they either haven’t been taught about diabetes, don’t recall learning about it, or weren’t taught about it in high school.
• These numbers highlight a glaring deficiency in our current health education and a widespread sense of unpreparedness among students. The data clearly underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive and targeted instruction on this topic.

In response, we would like to propose the addition of a “Diabetes Awareness Week” to the 9th-grade health class curriculum. This initiative could include interactive lessons, guest speakers from the medical field, and hands-on activities that encourage student engagement. Additionally, we are exploring the possibility of organizing a field trip to a local health organization or wellness center to provide students with real-world exposure and further reinforce the lessons taught in class.

We believe this approach could mirror the success of other impactful school-wide initiatives, such as the 10th-grade Museum of Jewish Heritage Project, which has proven effective in fostering long-term retention and helping students develop meaningful insights beyond the classroom. By introducing a similar model focused on diabetes awareness, we can help our students develop healthy behaviors, recognize early warning signs, and support peers and family members who may be at risk.

Empowering students with this knowledge doesn’t just benefit them—it creates a ripple effect that extends to families, communities, and the broader public health system. We hope our school will take the lead in bridging this critical gap and become a model for others to follow.