Diabetes Stigma
Change Words, Change Lives: Ending the Stigma Around Diabetes
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Understand the Impact
Diabetes stigma refers to the negative attitudes, beliefs, and judgments directed toward people living with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes. This stigma often stems from the misconception that diabetes is solely the result of poor lifestyle choices, leading to blame, shame, and discrimination.
People with diabetes may be unfairly labeled as lazy, non-compliant, or responsible for their condition, which can affect how they are treated by healthcare providers, employers, and even friends and family. This stigma can also be internalized, causing feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or low self-worth. As a result, individuals may delay seeking care, avoid disclosing their diagnosis, or experience poorer mental health.
Addressing diabetes stigma requires education, empathy, and a shift in public perception to recognize diabetes as a complex chronic condition influenced by genetic, environmental, and social factors, not just personal behavior.
Learn More
Diabetes Stigma - Diabetes Canada
Diabetes Canada discusses how people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) face significant "blame-the-victim" stigma due to misconceptions linking it solely to lifestyle, despite strong genetic and socioeconomic factors, leading to negative mental and physical health impacts, and advocates for media accuracy, empathetic healthcare, and public education to combat this pervasive issue.
Stigma: Why Words Matter - Gov Canada
This Government of Canada webpage, published by Health Canada, is a fact sheet titled “Stigma: Why Words Matter” that explains how negative language and stereotypes about people who use drugs contribute to stigma, and offers practical guidance on using respectful, person-first language to reduce discrimination and support compassionate care.
Stigma Resource Library
The dStigmatize "Resources" page provides a curated library of articles, videos, and guides designed to help individuals, healthcare professionals, and organizations understand, reduce, and advocate against diabetes stigma through education, effective communication strategies, and community action.
Watch Educational Videos
Destigmatizing Diabetes - Diabetes Canada
Diabetes Canada is pleased to present a webinar on destigmatizing diabetes. This conversation features Dr. Michael Vallis, Austen McDonald, and Quentin Valognes and will cover what we mean by stigma, how it affects us differently across life stages and types of diabetes, and how to recognize and respond to stigma when we encounter it.
Tackling Diabetes and Inequity with Dr. David Campbell
Dr. Campbell shared compelling insights from his research and emphasized the need for solutions rooted in empathy and mutual respect. He also presented his team’s innovative knowledge mobilization projects, including the short film Low and the impactful photo voice exhibit Home Sweet Homeless.
Understanding Stigma in T2D with Dr. Diane Finegood
In this insightful discussion, Krista Lamb interviews Dr. Finegood, a professor at Simon Fraser University, about the impact of stigma in Type 2 diabetes. They explore: The current landscape of diabetes stigma, what people living with diabetes want to change, and how healthcare providers can make a difference.
More Science, Less Stigma with Obesity Canada
We explore the role Obesity Canada plays in supporting healthcare providers and people with lived experience of obesity. Obesity Canada is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating weight bias and expanding access to quality, evidence-informed care. They support the development of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline, which is recognized internationally as a leading resource in obesity management.
Heads up Diabetes Campaign - Diabetes Australia (1)
The "Heads Up" campaign by Diabetes Australia aimed to tackle the pervasive issue of diabetes stigma and its negative impact on the mental and emotional well-being of people living with the condition. Launched as part of National Diabetes Week, the campaign sought to challenge widespread misunderstandings and stereotypes about diabetes, emphasizing that it's a complex condition not simply caused by lifestyle choices, and that no one should be blamed or shamed for having it.
Heads up Diabetes Campaign - Diabetes Australia (2)
The "Heads Up" campaign by Diabetes Australia aimed to tackle the pervasive issue of diabetes stigma and its negative impact on the mental and emotional well-being of people living with the condition. Launched as part of National Diabetes Week, the campaign sought to challenge widespread misunderstandings and stereotypes about diabetes, emphasizing that it's a complex condition not simply caused by lifestyle choices, and that no one should be blamed or shamed for having it.
The South Asian Context
The Indigenous Context
Watch Films and Documentaries
Beyond Access to Insulin: A Story of 2 Approaches to Care
Ensuring access to insulin is essential for all who need it. But for people to use insulin optimally, they must also have access to many other elements, including care, education and support. Ensuring access to these elements can be especially difficult in low- and middle-income countries, where financial constraints, limited capacity and a lack of public awareness can create additional obstacles.
Campaigns & Advocacy - Join the Conversation
News - Stay up to Date
Breaking the Stigma: Diabetes Misconceptions
In this interview, Dr. Susan Guzman, PhD, a clinical psychologist specializing in diabetes, discusses the findings from Abbott’s survey and their new initiative, Above the Bias. She shares how stigma affects people with diabetes, the most common misconceptions, and practical ways we can all help dismantle diabetes-related bias.
Many Canadians with Diabetes report facing stigma.
Some 4 million Canadians are living with Diabetes and a new national survey finds a majority say they've been blamed or shamed for having the disease. Health reporter Katherine Ward explains how this can impact a person's ability to manage the disease and what can be done to help.
Toolkits & Guides - Empower Yourself
Language Tools to Decrease Stigma in Diabetes
Being mindful of potentially negative language is crucial because stigma is linked to poorer self-care, higher A1C levels, and more complications, highlighting the vital role healthcare professionals play in reducing the stigma experienced by people with diabetes.
PAID - Problem Areas In Diabetes Scale
The PAID (Problem Areas in Diabetes) scale is a 20-item questionnaire used to assess the emotional and psychological distress a person experiences due to living with and managing diabetes. It is a well-regarded tool that helps both patients and healthcare providers identify specific issues that are causing distress.
Diabetes Canada
ADCES
CARDI.OH
Research Studies - Explore the Facts
Experiences of diabetes stigma among adults with diabetes
This multi-country study, involving 11 studies from six countries, found a high and consistent prevalence of diabetes stigma among adults with both Type 1 (91%) and Type 2 (77%) diabetes, with blame and judgment being the most common forms, underscoring the urgent need for global action.
A Square Peg in a Round Hole: Social Experiences
This study revealing that 92% of Canadians with Type 1 diabetes and 68.2% of those with Type 2 diabetes report experiencing some form of stigma. This comprehensive research highlights the urgent need to address the social and emotional realities faced by millions.
Bringing an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination
This scientific review article published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in January 2024, titled "Bringing an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination: an international consensus statement on evidence and recommendations," discusses how diabetes stigma negatively impacts individuals and proposes a collective effort to end it.
Blame and Shame: The Stigma of Diabetes
The article, an editorial titled "Blame and Shame: The Stigma of Diabetes" by Stephen A. Brunton, discusses the stigma and shame associated with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It begins with a personal anecdote about the author's daughter, who felt isolated and blamed herself for her Type 1 diagnosis, highlighting that even though it's not their fault, people with Type 1 diabetes still face ignorance and stereotyping.
Podcasts & Blogs - Listen & Learn
Understanding Stigma in T2D: Beyond the Surface
This blog post emphasizes that Type 2 Diabetes stigma is a pervasive societal issue stemming from misconceptions about individual responsibility, deeply impacting mental health and self-management, and calls for empathy, respectful language, and systemic changes in healthcare, media, and policy.
Understanding the Social Experiences of Canadians
This blog highlights that nearly 4 million Canadians with diabetes face significant stigma, blame, and discrimination, impacting their emotional well-being and quality of life, and calls for increased education, empathy, and support to change the narrative.