The Burden of Diabetes in Atlantic Canada. 2011.

This document provides timely statistics on diabetes and selected risk factors. It serves as a tool to inform stakeholders of the epidemiology of diabetes and selected risk factors for program planning and policy development. It also underlines PHAC Atlantic’s commitment to identify and recognize the important role of risk factors in diabetes as well as those populations within the region who are at greater risk of developing the disease.

By Audrey Layes
37 pages
...download document (588 KB)

Description

The Burden of Diabetes in Atlantic Canada has been created by the Atlantic Regional Office of the Public Health Agency of Canada to provide timely statistics on diabetes and selected risk factors. This document aims to provide information at a level of detail that is relevant and useful to the diverse population of the region. Prevalence rates are therefore provided separately for men and women, off-reserve aboriginals, African-Canadian populations, francophones, Anglophones, certain age groups and health regions within each province.

Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by the body’s inability to produce and/or use insulin properly. Insulin is needed for the body to use blood glucose as an energy source. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body fails to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes usually results from the body’s inability to use insulin and can develop into an inability to produce insulin. A healthy diet, losing excess weight and exercising regularly can significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and minimize the risk of complications in those living with the disease.

Highlights from this scan include:

• In 2009, the prevalence of self-reported diabetes for all of Canada was 6%. Among the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest prevalence at 8.1%.
• Prevalence of overweight and obesity, which are risk factors for diabetes, was higher in all the Atlantic provinces compared to Canada as a whole in 2008. This higher prevalence persisted when men and women were compared separately.
• Across Canada in 2003, 4.5% of the non-aboriginal populations reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Among the aboriginal population living off-reserve, the prevalence was 6.7%. In 2002-2003, 19.7% of First Nations adults living on-reserve reported a diagnosis of diabetes.

Credits

The Burden of Diabetes in Atlantic Canada. 2011. Produced by Audrey Layes for the Atlantic Regional Office of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Availability

This document is available for download in English and French. To open the pdf file you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

... pdf English (588 KB)
... pdf French (520 KB)

For more information, contact:

Public Health Agency of Canada
Suite 1525, 15th Floor, Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS B3J 3Y6
Tel: (902) 426-2700
Fax: (902) 426-9689
E-mail: ph-sp-info@phac-aspc.gc.ca