Visualizing health: imagery in diabetes education

In this paper, we describe research designed to impact diabetes education programs. We have tried to connect medical facts and information about diabetes to personal experiences by introducing photography as a tool for data collection. Diabetics typically measure their blood sugar levels to understand their physiological state, but these data cannot explain the causal factors leading to anomalous health. We have introduced additional qualitative data into the diabetes portfolio by having patients photograph their eating, exercise, and stress management habits. We discuss two related projects in the paper: a new approach to diabetes education courses and visualization software that allows photographs of behavior to be synchronized with glucose data. In both cases, our goal is to help diabetics reflect on their health practices, and to use personal imagery as data to explain their conditions.

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