The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation kicked off a social media campaign at the CMA House of Delegates to engage physicians in educating their patients about sugary drinks and how they increase the prospect of developing diabetes. The CMA Foundation and the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations are both sponsoring the campaign with funding from the California Endowment.

As part of the campaign, physicians can request a poster for their offices that shows a large can of soda with the lettering “Type 2 Diabetes” and “Did you know that one junk drink a day can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 25 percent.” Physicians are encouraged to place the posters in their waiting rooms where patients can see it to help open a dialog on the topic of sugary drinks and their effect on health.

Physicians are also asked to take pictures of themselves engaged in conversations with their patients and post them to social media, like Twitter or Facebook, with the hashtags #beatthesweet and/or #sugarlesspour. These hashtags will allow the foundation to find your post. The CMA Foundation will repost photos with these hashtags to its Facebook page.

More than 20 physicians have joined the campaign since it began on Friday and it is hoped that more will take up the challenge.

To get your free poster contact Liza Kirkland at staff@phcdocs.org or (916) 779-6643.