Diabetes is harder to fight in northern area

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The availability of healthy food and sporting facilities is a major hurdle in efforts to prevent diabetes in Northern Saskatchewan, says the medical health officer for the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority.

"When it comes to the primary prevention of diabetes, we're talking about very basic changes in the communities around physical activity and the foods that people eat," said Dr. Sara Whitehead.

City folks can walk down the street to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables at the local grocery store, or get a workout at the neighborhood gym.

But this is harder in Northern Saskatchewan, said Whitehead, where the cost of transporting fresh food means the local convenience store only stocks it a couple times a week.

"In some communities there might only be a small convenience store and you have to travel far outside the community to (find) a fully-stocked grocery store," she said. "(And) we know what convenience store foods are like - it's pop, chips and chocolate bars."

Most northern communities have only a school gym to offer any kind of organized physical activity for residents, she said.

"Access to those facilities for indoor activity can be a real issue, and in a climate where it's 40 below sometimes, you need some options for indoor activity," said Whitehead. "Even something as simple as walking may be difficult when there are a lot of wild dogs."

Whitehead and Dr. James Irvine, medical health officer for two northern health districts, asked delegates at the ninth annual northern health conference in Prince Albert Oct. 22 for ideas on how to combat these problems.

Suggestions ranged from educating young people about the harmful effects of eating junk food to organizing an outdoor education program through the schools.

Their ideas will be forwarded to a regional working group developing plans and prevention programs for the North. The group is a partnership of tribal councils, First Nations and health districts.

Diabetes is a preventable disease, said Whitehead, and significant strides can be made at the community level if more people exercise and eat a healthy diet.

"When we talk about it being preventable, I think it's important to make the distinction between the community level and the individual level," she said. "No matter how healthy of a life you lead, some people will still get diabetes. So we don't want to blame people who are diabetic for causing this."

Prevention programs should target people under 30 as the risk for diabetes increases with age, she said. However, that doesn't mean people over 30 wouldn't benefit from changing their diets and exercise programs.

"The age of onset of diabetes is getting younger and younger, especially in Aboriginal populations. So we want to make sure we catch people in time," she said. "(But) we certainly don't mean to imply that 45-year-olds shouldn't change their lifestyles, too."