This editorial in the special issue of the BEH reviews the background of the diabetes program launched in 1998 and the creation of a representative national sample of people with diabetes in France (ENTRED) based on the CNAMTS database. This issue of the BEH presents new data on the characteristics, at the national and regional levels, of people with diabetes in 2001 and the extent to which medical care aligns with established recommendations. (R.A.)