About
The Swedish Diabetes Association (Svenska Diabetesförbundet) was founded in May 1943 as a national association for diabetes at the initiative of three local diabetes associations in the municipalities of Landskrona, Halmstad and Helsingborg. It was these three local associations together with the newly formed local association in Malmö that laid the foundation for what the Swedish Diabetes Association is today.
The purpose of the Swedish Diabetes Association, along with our local and regional branches, is to improve the living conditions of people with diabetes and their relatives, and work on issues that matter for them in order to minimise the impact of diabetes.
In order to achieve our purpose we, among other things:
- Inform politicians and decision makers about diabetes in order to influence policy decisions.
- Distribute information about diabetes, such as films, magazine, podcasts, fact sheets and reports.
- Create spaces for meeting, learning and exchanges of experiences through our local branches.
The association comprises around 20,500 members and has 77 local branches and 20 regional branches.
The local and regional branches work to inform politicians and decision makers about diabetes in order to influence policy decisions, and they offer activities for our members in their region.
Members between the ages of 15-30 have the opportunity to get involved in Young Diabetes (Ung Diabetes), a part of the association that works to provide a community, information, inspiration and support for young people with diabetes.
Main Focus
All the activities of the Swedish Diabetes Association emanate from our members and aim to make it easier to live with diabetes.
As part of The National Diabetes Team (an umbrella organisation consisting of our association and associations for healthcare professionals in the field of diabetes), the Swedish Diabetes Association lobbies for development and regular revisions of national guidelines for diabetes care.
Activities
Every year the Swedish Diabetes Association’s local and regional branches perform hundreds of activities for our members. From national level the association initiates and carries out some of these activities.
On World Diabetes Day each year, the Swedish Diabetes Association releases a report called the Diabetes Barometer (Diabetesbarometern), where statistics from the Swedish National Diabetes Register (which aims to support improvement in the quality of care) is combined with results from a survey among our members regarding the diabetes care they receive and how they perceive the healthcare system. The report comprises of different breakdowns of Swedish diabetes care and ranks the 21 different healthcare regions in Sweden.
Message from the President
“At a time when diabetes is increasing dramatically, a strong voice for people with diabetes is more important than ever. The progress we see in society and research shows that our work is making a difference. Being a part of the international diabetes family is very important since diabetes does not stop at our borders. Many decisions affecting people with diabetes are taken at a supranatural level, and member organisations can learn a lot from each other. Together we are making it easier to live with diabetes, and hopefully, one day diabetes will disappear.”