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Dexcom Launches National Campaign to Smash the Stigma of Living with Diabetes

Australians living with diabetes speak out on misconceptions, mental health, and affordability

  • Dexcom launches bold video and social campaign featuring Australians living with diabetes, addressing common misconceptions about the condition
  • The campaign includes a new consumer survey1 of more than 2,000 Australians living with diabetes that shows almost 70% have personally experienced stigma, 69% don’t openly discuss the condition, and nearly half say it negatively impacts their mental health
  • Survey1 results reveal the two most common misconceptions about living with diabetes are that it’s caused solely by lifestyle factors and that people who have the condition can’t eat carbohydrates or sweets
  • Living with diabetes came with financial pressure for 62% of survey1 respondents
DexCom, Inc. (Nasdaq: DXCM), a global leader in real-time continuous glucose monitoring, today launched a bold new campaign that challenges misconceptions about living with diabetes. It features a video series, a social campaign and a new survey1 of 2,000 Australians revealing stigma, mental health strain and affordability as top concerns.
The survey1 shows that the two biggest misconceptions about living with diabetes are: it is caused by lifestyle factors (30%); and people who have the condition can’t eat carbohydrates or sweets (33%). Almost 70% of those surveyed had personally encountered a stigma about living with diabetes.
Juliet Love, interior designer and host of Better Homes and Gardens is among Australians featured in the Smash the Stigma campaign. In the campaign video, Juliet says that, for her, living with type 1 diabetes is the result of an autoimmune condition and has nothing to do with her lifestyle.
“There are so many variables that affect your glucose level, such as hormones, how much sleep you’ve had, exercise, and your stress levels, so it can change very drastically throughout the day. Monitoring your blood glucose levels is helpful because it means you can check at any time of the day or night to know exactly what it’s doing,” Juliet says.
Almost half of those who responded to the Dexcom Smash the Stigma consumer survey1 reported that living with diabetes had negatively impacted their mental health, including experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious or down.
Ron Rosenbaum, who is living with type 2 diabetes and is featured in the video, says, “I only found out recently that I’ve lost a couple of uncles due to complications associated with living with diabetes. I wish I’d known earlier. I think maybe that stigma of talking about it prevented my family from sharing this information with me.”
Samy Saad, Senior Director, Dexcom Australia, said the company was committed to raising greater awareness about the realities of living with diabetes and the need for better access to continuous glucose monitoring technologies.
“Alongside Smash the Stigma campaign, our 20,000-strong global Dexcom Warrior community is built on connection, encouragement, and real-life inspiration. These Warriors show what’s possible living with diabetes—and help smash stigma simply by sharing their everyday moments and wins.”

Dexcom Smash the Stigma 2025 Consumer Survey

National Survey of over 2,000 participants living with diabetes
Impact of living with diabetes:
  • 97% said their life had changed
  • 70% were shocked or worried
  • 40% won’t see a GP or specialist regularly
  • 43% cite hospital admissions as one of the biggest national impacts
Cost of living with diabetes:
  • 62% were financially impacted by the condition
Stigma and mental health:
  • 69% don’t openly talk about it
  • 68% have personally experienced stigma about the condition
  • 49% report negative mental health impacts
To learn more about the Smash the Stigma campaign, view the video, or read more about the survey1 results, visit https://dexcom.com.au/smash-the-stigma

About Dexcom, Inc.

Dexcom empowers people to take control of their health through innovative biosensing technology. Founded in 1999, Dexcom has pioneered and set the standard in glucose biosensing for more than 25 years. Its technology has transformed how people manage diabetes, track their glucose and understand overall metabolic health, helping users feel more in control and live more confidently. 
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Read the warnings available on dexcom.com/downloadsandguides before purchasing. Consult your healthcare professional to see if this product is right for you. © 2025 Dexcom, Inc. Dexcom, Dexcom G6, Dexcom G7 and Dexcom Clarity are registered trademarks of DexCom, Inc. in the U.S., and may be registered in other countries. All rights reserved. References: 1. Data on file
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Dexcom, Dexcom Clarity, Dexcom Follow, Dexcom G7, Dexcom ONE+, Dexcom G6, Dexcom Share, and any related logos and design marks are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Dexcom, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Read the warnings available on dexcom.com/downloadsandguides before purchasing. Consult your healthcare professional to see if this product is right for you. This product is a continuous glucose monitoring system indicated for the management of (type 1, type 2, gestational) diabetes in people age 2 years and older where self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is indicated.

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