Diabetes Impact on Quality of Life and Employment

Diabetes represents a chronic metabolic disorder whose effects extend far beyond glycaemic control, profoundly shaping individuals’ daily experiences and their roles in the workforce. On a personal level, the need for regular monitoring, medication adjustments and dietary vigilance can erode emotional well-being, trigger stress and contribute to depressive symptoms. Complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular disease further diminish physical functioning and autonomy, curtailing participation in routine activities and undermining overall quality of life. Economically, diabetes imposes both direct healthcare costs and indirect costs through absenteeism, reduced productivity and premature exit from employment. The interplay between disease management demands and workplace demands creates multiple barriers to sustained labour market engagement. Addressing these challenges calls for integrated clinical, psychological and occupational strategies to preserve functional capacity, enhance self-management and support continued employment.

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Diabetes Impact on Quality of Life and Employment publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in diabetes impact on quality of life and employment across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Productivity-adjusted life-year (PALY): A metric combining lifespan and productivity loss to assess the economic impact of disease on work and household contributions.

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs): Complex self-care tasks (such as managing finances, cooking and medication management) required for independent living.

Labour market participation: The extent to which individuals engage in paid employment, including factors such as employment status, absenteeism and early retirement.

References

1. The Impact of Chronic Conditions on Productivity-Adjusted Life-Years in Both the Workplace and Household Settings in the General Adult Population in Finland. Value in Health (2024).
2. The impact of diabetes on labour market participation: a systematic review of results and methods. BMC Public Health (2019).
3. Depressive symptoms and daily living dependence in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the mediating role of positive and negative perceived stress. BMC Psychiatry (2024).