The Sugar was Never Just Ours: A Poetic Call to Stop Blaming Families for Diabetes

This poetic advocacy piece challenges the tendency to frame diabetes primarily as a consequence of individual or family failure. Through the experiences of a collectivist household, the poem explores how food functions as affection, hospitality, obligation, and cultural belonging, while commercial marketing, pricing, school environments, and unequal access to healthy choices shape diabetes risk. The accompanying discussion positions poetry as a tool for public health advocacy, community organizing, and policy communication. It proposes the use of performance, story circles, community forums, professional training, and campaign materials to connect family experiences with broader commercial and social determinants of health. The piece advocates for restrictions on unhealthy food marketing to children, clearer food labeling, healthier school environments, access to safe drinking water, affordable nutritious food, and community-based diabetes prevention. Rather than blaming collectivist culture, it presents family cohesion as a potential source of collective action, resilience, and culturally responsive health promotion.