Can social connections help protect against the risk of diabetes and its complications of physical and mental health?

Project Summary

Diabetes and its complications are major health challenges affecting millions of Canadians, especially older adults. Women often face greater risks due to life events such as widowhood, living alone, and fewer social connections in later life. Current diabetes research focuses on biological causes and less so on upstream determinants such as social ties, which limits public health prevention strategies. Our conversations with people living with diabetes supports the notion that both gains and loss in different social ties may impact diabetes and its complications, including mental health. This project will be the first to study whether gains, losses or prolonged lack of different social ties affect the risk of diabetes, mental health and complications of the heart, kidneys, brain; it also brings a novel a sex and gender lens to this understudied area. Our project has significance because it fills a critical knowledge gap in diabetes prevention and advances equity in women’s health.