Education program struggles against diabetes pandemic

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Getting back to traditional lifestyles is one of the best ways to combat the pandemic of diabetes raging through Saskatchewan, according to Tracy Nash and Jan Kroll.

The pair constitute the Diabetes Education Program administered by the Prince Albert Grand Council. Nash is a dietician, and Kroll is a registered nurse.

They spend most of their time out on the road, visiting 11 northern communities and spreading the word about the dangers of the third leading cause of death by disease in Canada.

In Saskatchewan, diabetes has touched the lives of 38,000 people - almost four per cent of the population, according to a report released by the Saskatchewan Advisory Committee on Diabetes. The report suggests 3,000 new cases will be reported each year.

For Aboriginal people the numbers get worse.

Among only status Indians there are 3,600 reported cases of the disease in the province, and the percentage of the overall Aboriginal community suffering with diabetes is one-and-a-half to three times higher than the rest of the population.

Health Canada statistics show that as many as one quarter of First Nations adults in Canada may have diabetes by the year 2016. Prior to 1940, diabetes was virtually unknown in Native communities.

Nash and Kroll say the answer is to really get back to basics.

"I think for a lot of people convenience foods are really easy, but they're higher in fat. So we encourage traditional foods because traditional foods are healthy choices," Nash said. "With traditional lifestyles they're also more active."

"When you're hunting and trapping you're using up a lot of energy," Kroll added.

The proof for the pair is in the statistics they have witnessed in their own area. Around major centres in Saskatchewan, like Prince Albert, the incidence of diabetes is higher than in the more northern areas. They now worry more cases of diabetes will follow the new northern road under construction to Black Lake, Sask.

"I think we're already seeing it actually," Nash said.

"There's a greater ability to get the pop and the processed foods," Kroll added.

For all people, convenience and snack foods are a wolf in sheep's clothing. They look and taste good, but are a major cause in a worldwide increase in diabetes. For Aboriginal people they are especially poisonous.

Diabetes is a condition characterized by a problem with the body's level of blood sugar due to a defect in the insulin produced by the pancreas. The disease can cause a wide variety of serious ailments, from complications with the kidneys or nerves, to loss of vision and heart disease.

Weight control, activity and healthy eating are all keys to reducing the risk of diabetes.

Unfortunately, the change in diet and lifestyle First Nation people have experienced in the past 50 years has put them in a precarious situation. They are becoming more obese and are eating more processed foods, while doing less activity than ever before.

Kroll said rates of complications occur more quickly in the First Nation population.

"It seems like when they get the diabetes, it's more difficult for them," she said. "The complications are greater."

Aboriginal patients are also seven times more likely to need dialysis than the rest of the population.

Aside from trying to prevent the disease, the program is intended to teach people how to control and live with diabetes. The Diabetes Education Program came about three years ago after medical officials at Prince Albert's Victoria Hospital noticed an increase in the number of diabetes cases being handled by the hospital.

Since then the Prince Albert Health District, the North East Health District and the grand council have worked together to fund and administer the program.

"This is a fairly innovative program," Nash said. "We're even getting callsfrom B.C. to find out what we're doing."

She said other Saskatchewan bands, the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College dentistry program and the Saskatoon Tribal Council have all eressed interest in the program.

The secret to its success, according to Nash and Kroll, is the number of times they get out to the communities to hold workshops, cooking classes and school visits.

They say in every community they visit, the children have seen the results of the disease. Most know someone who has suffered from diabetes.

Education is the only weapon the pair have in the war against the disease, and despite the grim statistics, they are hopeful a corner can be turned against the spread of the disease.