Bringing an End to Diabetes Stigma and Discrimination
A Pledge and International Consensus Statement on Evidence and Recommendations
FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Diabetes stigma can negatively impact the health, self-care, well-being, and professional and social lives of people with diabetes. It can also negatively impact impact public and government support and funding for diabetes research, prevention, clinical care, and treatments.
To bring an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination, an expert panel of 51 researchers, health professionals, and diabetes advocates reviewed the scientific evidence on this topic. They established an international consensus which includes 49 statements of evidence and recommendations. This consensus paper was published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in 2023.
In addition to the statements of evidence and recommendations, the expert panel also published a Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma and Discrimination. This Pledge, which has been endorsed by almost 2,500 individuals and 300 organizations spanning the globe, has become its own social movement since it launched (#EndDiabetesStigma).
The Pledge can be taken by anyone interested in helping us create a more compassionate, respectful, and supportive world for people with diabetes and their loved ones.
You can find more information about the international consensus, the Pledge, and the expert panelists involved with this effort at EndDiabetesStigma.org
To celebrate World Diabetes Day 2023, the diaTribe Foundation was invited to join the Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes and Diabetes Victoria in Melbourne for the #EndDiabetesStigma Launch Event celebrating the global launch of the international consensus and the Pledge.
The event was hosted by Australian physician, journalist, and broadcaster, Dr. Norman Swan AM and leading diabetes advocate and co-author of the consensus and Pledge, Renza Scibilia. You can watch a recording of the event now, which features several panels and discussions on the international consensus, the Pledge, advocacy efforts to reduce diabetes stigma and discrimination, and what this movement means for people with diabetes all over the world.
To learn more about diabetes stigma and ways to reduce stigma, visit the dStigmatize Resource Library.