Sanofi Canada and Diabetes Care Community announce a collaboration to support the emotional well-being journey of Canadians living with diabetes

TORONTO, May 1, 2023 /CNW/ - sanofi-aventis Canada Inc. (Sanofi Canada) and Diabetes Care Community Inc. (DCC) are pleased to announce a collaboration to support the journey towards emotional well-being of Canadians living with diabetes. The goal of the collaboration is to provide resources and information for people living with diabetes to help foster increased emotional well-being.

Through this collaboration, Sanofi Canada and DCC have established an online educational channel aimed at providing support. This comprehensive section on the DCC website will feature articles authored by diabetes specialists and will include advice, resources and pragmatic techniques to improve emotional well-being.

Ahmed Moussa
General Manager, General Medicines, Sanofi Canada

"At Sanofi Canada, we're committed to going beyond medicine to support the health and well-being of Canadians living with diabetes. Diabetes Care Community is a trusted hub where people living with diabetes seek information regarding their diabetes management. We're proud to collaborate with DCC to support the creation of new resources to help Canadians optimize their emotional well-being and manage their diabetes so they can live life to the fullest."

The Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada acknowledge that research has shown an increasingly clear relationship between diabetes and a variety of mental health issues and state that "Diabetes distress" refers to the negative emotions and burden of self-management related to living with diabetes.1

A survey conducted among DCC's national community of Canadians living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes revealed that almost 60 per cent of them feel that diabetes has an impact on their emotional well-being at least some of the time, and:

  • 40 per cent rate their emotional well-being as "mediocre", "poor", or "very poor" and only 18 per cent rate it as "very good".
  • Only 42 per cent feel that they have found the right support and resources to help manage their emotional well-being.
  • More than 70 per cent feel it is important to have access to online resources to support their emotional well-being and diabetes management.

Additionally, more than half of respondents recognized keeping blood glucose levels at target, maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity as "very important" factors that contribute to their emotional well-being. Yet, less than 25 per cent ranked themselves as managing these things "very well".

Shelley Diamond
BScPhm, President and Co-founder, Diabetes Care Community Inc.

"The survey results showed that a vast majority of respondents feel that it is important to have access to online resources to support emotional well-being, so we are pleased to be collaborating with Sanofi Canada to help meet this need. Diabetes Care Community and Sanofi Canada share the same commitment to help people with diabetes live life well, and emotional well-being is a critical component of overall health."

Findings from the survey will help inform the development of the new educational content that will be housed under the "emotional well-being" channel on DCC's website.

To access the educational content that supports emotional well-being, visit: https://www.diabetescarecommunity.ca/healthy-living-landing/emotional-well-being/.

About Diabetes Care Community

Diabetes Care Community is a patient-centric online resource focused on improving self-management knowledge and skills for Canadians with diabetes and prediabetes, with educational content, resources, and sponsor collaboration programs.

About Sanofi

We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions.

In Canada, we employ approximately 2,000 people. In 2021, we invested more than $143 million in research and development in Canada, creating jobs, business, and opportunity throughout the country. In 2021, Sanofi announced an investment of $925 million (CAD) in a new vaccine manufacturing facility at our existing site in Toronto, Canada. More information is available at Sanofi.ca.

About Survey

The national online survey was conducted by DCC through its website, and data was collected from a random selection of 875 Canadian adults living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes from March 30 to April 5, 2023. For further information about the survey, please contact Shelley Diamond with the contact information listed below.

References
  1. Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee. Diabetes Canada 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes. 2018;42(Suppl 1):S1-S325.

SOURCE Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc.

For further information: Lori Bogdanis, Lead, Corporate Communications, Sanofi Canada | + 514-233-9549 | lori.bogdanis@sanofi.com; Shelley Diamond, President and Co-Founder, Diabetes Care Community | + 416-573-8645 | shelley@diabetescarecommunity.ca