Let’s talk about how to end diabetes stigma

Diabetes stigma is a huge issue in South Africa: we all know this. But how can we change that? How can we end diabetes stigma? Let’s talk about it.

Why we need to end diabetes stigma

Anyone living with diabetes in South Africa is aware that there’s still diabetes stigma. It might be subtle – people making jokes about what you can eat, or saying that eating too much sugar will give them diabetes – or it might be much more painful than that. When we asked our community: Is there a stigma around living with diabetes? The answer was yes.

Diabetes stigma is part of the reason why half of all South Africans with diabetes are undiagnosed. People are hesitant to claim that they have diabetes when they know they will be treated differently. We already know that language and the media often portray diabetes in a negative light, which is why we brought Language Matters to South Africa.

We’ve written about diabetes stigma in those with Type 1 and those with Type 2, and in children. But what can we do about it? How do we end diabetes stigma?

How to end diabetes stigma

If there’s anyone who’s going to figure it out, it’s the South Africans with Diabetes community! 2025 is our year, friends. We’re starting work on a targeted diabetes stigma campaign and we want to ask you what you think we should include.

We want to show South Africans – online and in the media – that people with diabetes all look different, that we can live healthy, happy lives with diabetes, that the condition affects everyone: every age, every race, every gender, body size and sexual orientation.

We also need to talk about diabetes stigma more

A big part of this crusade to end diabetes stigma is, of course, conversation. It’s speaking up when somebody makes a terrible diabetes joke. It’s telling people that you have diabetes without shame. It’s injecting insulin in public, if that’s something you need (and want) to do.

But really, we want to hear from you. How do you think we end diabetes stigma in SA? You can comment on this post or on Facebook or Instagram. Let’s talk!