Study shows alarming diabetes rate in First Nations girls

A study by Roland Dyck and fellow University of Saskatchewan researcher Nathaniel Osgood from the Indigenous People’s Health Research Centre reveals that pre-adolescent and adolescent First Nations girls face higher rates of diabetes than other children in Saskatchewan. Using data gathered from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, Dyck and Osgood tracked the rates of diabetes in both First Nations and non-First Nations populations in Saskatchewan over 25 years from 1980 to 2005. This groundbreaking work covers a longer time period than any other childhood diabetes study done in Canada. They found that diabetes prevalence amongst First Nations youth more than tripled in that time frame while increasing by less than two times amongst non-First Nations youth. Prevalence was highest amongst First Nations girls, with an almost four-fold increase. The study did not differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Dyck says the increase in type 2 diabetes is related in part to a dramatic shift in lifestyle for both First Nations and non-First Nations children. Contributing factors to diabetes, such as poor diet, affect youth from disadvantaged populations even more since they may lack access to high quality foods and opportunities to be involved in physical activities such as organized sports. Children born of women with diabetes are also at a higher risk of becoming obese as well as later developing diabetes. Gestational diabetes also has higher rates in First Nations women than non-First Nations women, increasing this risk factor as well. The study is published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes. (Photo: University of Saskatchewan)