World Diabetes Day 2024: Let’s Talk About Well-being
Dr Sean Wheatley, MSc, PhD. Science and Research Lead
Every year, the 14th of November is “World Diabetes Day”, the world’s biggest diabetes awareness campaign. Created by the International Diabetes Federation in 1991, World Diabetes Day takes place on the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin (with Charles Best). This revolutionised diabetes care.
Since this discovery (in 1922), knowledge around diabetes and its management has come a long way. Even in the last decade there have been significant developments, including:
– the rapid evolution of technology available to support the management of type 1 diabetes,
– increasing evidence that type 2 diabetes need not be a progressive condition, with many people able to reduce (or remove) their need for diabetes medication, and/or put their diabetes into remission entirely.
The net effect of this progress is that people with diabetes can approach the management of their condition with much more hope and optimism than has previously been the case. This fits well with the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day, which is “Diabetes and well-being”.
Diabetes and well-being
The focus of World Diabetes Day 2024 is to encourage people to talk about their well-being. In the UK, there is no excuse for well-being not being central to almost all conversations and decisions about diabetes management. There is also no excuse for the tone of these conversations to be anything other than hopeful, based on advances in diabetes care like, but not limited, to those mentioned above.
Instead, there is often a focus on chasing numbers, such as a certain BMI or HbA1c, without considering how the individual actually feels. This might include feelings about their health, about any interventions that have been suggested for improving their health, and/or about what is important to them, for example. There is often also still a negative slant on such discussions too, with a focus on the bad things that can happen if changes aren’t made, rather than the good things that can happen if they are.
Health markers are important, and taking steps to address any results that are well outside of a “healthy” range is key in relation to reducing the risk of long-term complications. This should not be at the expense of the physical, mental and social well-being of the person with diabetes though. It should not be something that is done without considering their needs and preferences either, not least because attempting to make changes without considering these things is unlikely to lead to lasting improvements.
The most important point here, is that well-being is about so much more than just your health results.
Looking forwards
What this means in practice, is that we need to reframe the conversation. Whether you are someone with diabetes, or someone involved in providing care to people with diabetes, then you have an opportunity to help do this. Look beyond the health results, to the person behind them. Doing this helps to make things more about real life, and so supports improvements in well-being. It also makes it more likely that suitable, sustainable lifestyle changes can be found. Healthcare should be a collaborative process, with the needs of the patient at the heart of it.
Key questions to help promote this include: What do YOU want to achieve? What is important to YOU? What do YOU want to try? What have YOU tried before that has/hasn’t worked, and what can be learned from this to help YOU now? What are YOUR health goals? What difference would achieving them make to YOUR life?
The importance of “WHY”
Another important question, which is often missed in conversations around health, is “WHY do you want to make changes – what difference will they make to your life?”
It is often the WHY that makes the difference. It is the WHY that keeps people motivated when they are struggling or stops them from making unhealthy choices when they are faced with temptation.
The WHY will be different for different people. It might be that they want to be able to play with their children or grandchildren. It might be that they want to be able to take their dog for a longer walk. It might be that they want to be able to take part in a favourite hobby or activity. It might be that they want to be able to fit into a certain outfit or item of clothing. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it is important to the individual. There are no wrong answers, as long as the motivator is truly meaningful to them.
The unimportance of “HOW”
Okay, it’s not entirely true to suggest the “how” is unimportant. The HOW is important, to the individual – and not all methods are equally valid or likely to work. Any changes made need to be something that works for the person with diabetes. They need to let them live their life in a way that they can enjoy, allowing them to have a quality of life that is enough to support good physical, mental and social well-being. They also have to be something the individual is able to stick to long-term, so any benefits can be maintained. The value of improving health markers without meeting these other criteria is debatable.
What is true though is that there are lots of different ways for someone to improve their health – one size doesn’t fit all. There are lots of different eating patterns that can work. There are lots of different ways to get sufficient physical activity. There are lots of different ways to reduce stress or improve sleep. These approaches do not need to be unpleasant either – many people are able to find options that they like and that work for them. So, as long as the person can find options that work for them, then HOW they achieve their goals doesn’t really matter after all!
Don’t accept things as normal!
Lastly, it is also important to know that low mood and depression, and other negative thoughts and feelings (or mental health issues), do not need to be the norm. Although the rate of such conditions is increased amongst people with diabetes, they are not inevitable. If you are already experiencing issues of this nature, ask for help. There are often things that can be done to help, and things can improve significantly with the right support. Making lifestyle changes that work for you can be a big part of preventing or managing such issues.
So, what’s the bottom line?
World Diabetes Day 2024 is all about the well-being of people with diabetes. Importantly, this is about so much more than just health results. Advances in diabetes care prove that the treatment of all types of diabetes need not just be about slowing the rate at which health declines too, but rather a more positive approach can be taken. Negative outcomes do not need to be accepted as “normal”, and compromises should not be made in relation to physical, mental and social well-being. In practice, this means people with diabetes should be supported to make changes that are right for them – one size doesn’t fit all! These changes should help them work towards THEIR health goals, considering what is important to THEM, and taking into account THEIR needs and preferences.
