The Big Blue Test on World Diabetes Day
November 14 is World Diabetes Day. On that day, at 14:00 hours (local time), thousands of people with diabetes will test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of exercise, test again and share their results on TuDiabetes or on Twitter.
The event is called The Big Blue Test because blue is the color associated with World Diabetes Day. It is based on a test-in activity that took place July 14, where more than a thousand people with diabetes tested their blood sugar at the same time and shared their results online. This time, the activity incorporates 14 minutes of physical activity to reinforce the importance of exercise.
Participating in this event to raise diabetes awareness on November 14 is easy:
1. At 2 pm (your local time), test your blood sugar.
2. Run, jog, walk the dog or do anything you’d normally do as part of your exercise routine for 14 minutes.
3. Test your blood sugar again.
4. If you are a member of TuDiabetes click on the home page banner and share your readings and what exercise you did between them. If you have a camera, you can also add a photo of your reading(s) or you exercising.
5. If you have a Twitter account, post your readings on Twitter (use the #bigblue hashtag) and link back to: http://bigbluetest.org.
We hope to see most readings posted at 14 hours (2 pm) local time, on November 14. If you are early or late, it’s OK.
What really matters is that you test your blood sugar often and that you exercise regularly. If you don’t have diabetes, you can still take The Big Blue Test. Regardless, tell others to test, exercise and share on November 14.
IMPORTANT:
If due to disability or medical advice you cannot exercise, naturally we don't expect you to do anything that will put you or your health at risk. We'd love you to participate entering your blood sugar readings.
UPDATE (Oct. 21, 2009):
If you work in media or have access to local media, please help us get the word out about the event, by sending them the press release attached below.
UPDATE (Nov. 1, 2009):
Here are a couple of banners (one static, one animated) that you can use to include in your blog. Please remember to link it to http://bigbluetest.org (which points back to this page).
Tags: awareness, bigbluetest, blue, diabetes, test-in, wdd
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joe Zen on -
I think I'm just going to try for a rare capillary sugar prick twice in the same day. Need more art at work. (I've only had this happen three times in seven years, your sugar prick goes Dexter/CSI on you.)
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Permalink Reply by Kevin McMahon on -
Who designed this test? There is at least a 14 minute lag between activity and bg. If you are trying to generate revenue for the test strip manufacturer this will certainly accomplish that objective.
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Permalink Reply by John Brush on -
What exactly will this accomplish? It sounds like "hands across America" where everyone claims it happened, but there were huge gaps, or the million man march that turned out about 100 times less than that.
Maybe the strip makers could send all diabetics four or five free strips to be able to participate, as if there was something of value to be learned? :-)
I wanted to say just what Kevin said, that is sounds like a revenue generator for the strip manufacturers since nothing much is gonna happen in 14 minutes.
Just have to wonder out loud why its not an hour. Sounds like something set up by someone who doesn't really understand reading BGs.
I'm in for anything that would be productive, helpful, and heck, just foster a spirit of good community across the world for all of us, but this seems rather random, and of no real value for any research or results.
John
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Permalink Reply by Kevin McMahon on
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Thanks John for seconding my motion
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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on -
Kevin, John,
I designed this specific test, based on feedback we obtained from our previous test-in event, back in July.
I personally live with diabetes and we run a nonprofit. So I don't know what to make of your comment about "trying to generate revenue for the test strip manufacturer," but it certainly is not our intention. Your idea of having a test strip manufacturer send people participating test strips may be a good one for future installments of the event: it won't be possible for this one, though.
The only reason behind the selection of 14 minutes is to tie the event to the 14th of November, World Diabetes Day (hence too, the selection of 14 hours -2 pm). Depending on the type of exercise 14 minutes may or may not affect your blood sugars. But certainly exercising 14 minutes is better than NOT doing it at all.
I totally respect if you don't want to participate, but you can be sure of one thing: we are not doing this to try to generate revenue for anyone.
Our goal is to raise awareness:
-Awareness of the importance of testing.
-Awareness of the importance of exercise.
-And awareness about the importance of community for people touched by diabetes.
Our goal with this event is not centered around research, in case you thought so. Still, the results from our previous event (and the ones from this event) may be of value to researchers. We will try to involve researchers in the design of future installments too, to ensure that these are not only valuable to patients and for awareness purposes.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin McMahon on
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Too much concern over the question I posed. Simply, my concern is just that this isn't the best way to illustrate the cause and effect connection between activity and blood sugar levels based on the 14 minute constraint. Getting people to be more active... All for it. Getting people to check more... all for it.
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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on
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I am not concerned. I am just answering your question and addressing John's points.
As a matter of fact, if people want to do more than 14 minutes of exercise, by all means do it. You will see here that some people are talking about running a 1/2 marathon and we are encouraging them to share the before/after readings and pics of their activity.
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Permalink Reply by Judith on -
Kevin, John, you old cynics---LOL!. It's also a whole lot of fun! I love reading posts off and on all day long as people check in from all over the globe. For me, anyway, it fosters a sense of shared experience across all the false, self-imposed or societally imposed things that divide us as human beings. I'll be cynical again on the 15th. But I like to take a timeout from my cynicism.....Be well all.....Judith
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Permalink Reply by Linda Gauvin-Miller on -
Aww c'mon John and Kevin...fun and awareness is all!
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Permalink Reply by Jacky Del Hoyo on -
I am sooo planning on being in on this- But wondering, if I'm a CGM'er, do I really HAVE to poke my finger twice?
: )
Thanks Manny, you help make D a little less burdensome and a little more fun!
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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on
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Glad that you feel this way about this program.
P.S. I am also on a CGM, but for this one time, I will spend a couple of strips in the course of fifteen minutes. :)
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