Singer Nick Jonas has thrown his support behind a campaign to help teach the difference between type one and type two diabetes.

The Jonas Brothers star, who was diagnosed with the illness nearly a decade ago, has teamed up with TV chef Sam Talbot for the Beyond Type 1 initiative which aims to help educate the masses about the causes of different types of the illness.

In a post on Instagram.com he writes, "Nearly 10 years ago my life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Since then, I learned how to manage and live well with this disease and made it my mission to speak openly about it with the hope of helping others deal with the struggles of managing diabetes in their own life.

"When I share my personal story, the questions I most often hear are, 'What did you eat that gave you diabetes?' or 'Does that mean you were lazy as a kid?' Although it's been difficult to deal with the misinformation out there, I always found a way to not let the lack of knowledge surrounding diabetes affect me... I can't do that any longer, and that is why I'm excited to join... Beyond Type 1 (which) will create a community for diabetics where they can share real-life stories about how they are living beyond Type 1 diabetes... We have a long way to go in the education of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes... We are strong together."

Jonas' decision to join the drive comes after he publicly criticised bosses at fitness company CrossFit after they posted an "ignorant" joke about diabetes on their Twitter.com page.