What’s your first thought when you hear the word “diabetes”? If it involves overindulgence, lack of exercise, or weight problems, you wouldn’t be alone. Still, these initial thoughts could be contributing to a damaging stigma about the condition. Diabetes doesn’t necessarily discriminate but, unfortunately, people inadvertently do.
Results from a new UK-wide survey of both people living with and without diabetes have been released, and the findings are a wake-up call. This first of its kind survey by Abbott, as part of their new campaign Let’s Change Perspective, shows a deep disconnect between the real-life experiences of people with diabetes and the public’s perception of them.
Here’s why that matters.
Diabetes is probably more prevalent than you think
There are currently more than 4.9 million people with diabetes in the UK, according to Diabetes UK — that’s around 7% of the UK population. More worryingly, Type 2 diabetes has been growing at a high rate and is now one of the world’s most common long-term health conditions, with 13.6 million people now at increased risk of the condition in the UK.
Stigma is everywhere
You might think that diabetes is a fairly well-known condition — with negative perception at a low — but sadly this isn’t the case. Abbott’s survey found that 1 in 4 people living with diabetes have directly experienced a negative throwaway comment about their condition, while a huge 73% of those surveyed have seen negative commentary in the media, the biggest culprits being newspapers and social media.
The survey highlights that many think people with diabetes “bring it on themselves”
24% of people without diabetes blamed individuals with Type 2 diabetes for their condition and 3 in 10 thought people with diabetes should only consume low-sugar meals and drinks, which is an inaccurate assumption.
An even larger proportion — 1 in 3 of the general population — said they would feel “personally responsible” if diagnosed with diabetes, indicating that while someone might shy away from publicly blaming someone for their diabetes, they have internalised the feeling of diabetes being that person’s fault.
This kind of thinking can lead to hurtful behaviour towards those living with diabetes, like policing what they eat or passing judgment on their perceived lifestyle choices.
And yet, most people in the UK don’t think diabetes has a stigma issue
Crucially, the survey found a profound difference between the perceptions of the British public and those living with diabetes when it comes to stigma surrounding the condition; the majority of the UK population does not recognise the stigma surrounding diabetes, despite holding misconceptions about the condition themselves.
While the UK population has a good understanding of the impact of managing the condition, they have far less understanding of the stigmatising behaviour towards it. 76% of the general public accurately associated diabetes with “insulin” but 79% claim to have never witnessed a negative reaction towards people with diabetes.
This is despite almost the same proportion of the diabetes community (73%) having viewed negativity and stigmatising behaviour on social media, TV, and online.
This unconscious bias can have an emotional toll and make managing the condition more difficult
Unsurprisingly, misconceptions about diabetes can have a big impact on those who live with it and many in the diabetes community suffer as a result of the UK public’s lack of understanding of the realities of living with this unpredictable and relentless condition.
This stigma can play out in many ways in day-to-day life, from food judgment to social exclusion. The phrase, “Should you be eating that?” might seem harmless to some but this can spark feelings of blame and judgment in those living with the condition. Seventeen percent of those living with diabetes who answered the survey said this kind of stigma leaves them feeling isolated and 21% said it made them feel self-conscious. A third (31%) believe that the way the public speaks about diabetes has a negative impact on their emotional well-being.
Roughly 1 in 4 people with diabetes reported that their condition, which is already demanding enough, has been made more difficult to manage due to others’ opinions.
“Stigma experienced by people with diabetes is one of the largest barriers to them engaging with care and treatment,” says Professor Deborah Christie, consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead for paediatric and adolescent psychological services at University College London Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust. “If you feel blamed or judged in any part of your life, then it can have a significant effect on your emotional well-being and you will be less likely to engage with that area.”
Those living with diabetes are at increased risk of developing negative thoughts towards their own condition and feeling guilty, embarrassed, or inadequate. According to Diabetes UK, they’re twice as likely to suffer from depression.
This has very real physical repercussions
Ignoring, mismanaging, or hiding diabetes is incredibly risky due to the number of diabetes-related health complications.
Almost 9,600 leg, toe, or foot amputations happen every year due to diabetes and the condition is one of the leading causes of preventable sight loss in the UK and approximately 700 people die prematurely every week in the UK.
More education is vital
So how can you help? The overwhelming consensus is that education is key. Of those surveyed, 83% of people with diabetes and 75% of the public said people in general need to be more educated about diabetes.
For instance, almost a third (29%) of the British public inaccurately believe that people with diabetes should only consume low-sugar meals, while 76% believe people with Type 2 diabetes should give up sugar altogether — something that just isn’t true.
Nearly everyone living with diabetes surveyed, regardless of type, believes people assume they are overweight (96%) and that their condition was caused by their lifestyle (64%) and lack of exercise (49%), which are incredibly negative perceptions to have.
They’re sadly not wrong in thinking this, as almost 4 in 5 members of the public (78%) do associate lack of exercise with Type 2 diabetes. But this is another misconception. While certain lifestyle factors are known to increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, the causes for every person are much more complicated and varied than people assume.
“Many people believe that there are only two types of diabetes,” says Dan, who lives with Type 1 diabetes. “I’ve had people ask me, ‘Is that the easy one?’ after explaining my condition. But there are many different types of diabetes, and all types of diabetes have their own challenges and none of them are easy.
“I’d like people to understand that diabetes isn’t self-inflicted. It is a chronic condition and isn’t easy. And those harmless comments are not harmless at all.”
Let’s change the conversation around diabetes. If we work together, we can challenge the unconscious bias that drives diabetes stigma and help improve the lives of people with diabetes. Change your perspective about diabetes today here.
ADC-71064 (v1.0) 02/2023