According to a recent study, approximately eight in 10 indigenous young adults will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime, compared with five in 10 in the general Canadian population. In fact, diabetes is three to five times higher now in the indigenous population and the onset of this debilitating illness is around the forties, while the rest of society tends to be affected later in life. Alarmingly, diabetes among indigenous peoples is no longer an adult condition, as children as young as five are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This disease was almost unknown in the aboriginal communities prior to the 1950s.
There are a number of complex factors contributing to the higher rates of diabetes in the indigenous population. The impact of diabetes varies also between regions and communities, and is highest among the first nations and lowest among the Inuit populations. However, the rates of diabetes are on the rise among the Inuit as well. The causes are rooted in the abrupt and forced socio-cultural changes to our traditional ways over the past several decades.
The first nations regional health survey, referred to as FNRHS, released in 2015-16, provides some of the available data in support of the recommendations that NADA brings forward today. Like many studies on aboriginal Canadians, this does not represent all first nations and does not reflect any Métis or Inuit in the data. The prevalence of diabetes among first nations in this study was an alarming 20% in females and 18% in males. One in 10 children had a mother diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which is diabetes during pregnancy. Seventeen per cent of women were pregnant when first diagnosed with diabetes and 83% of them were told they had diabetes outside of pregnancy. More than half of the first nations adults with diabetes have experienced at least one major complication. Over 25% had complications with neuropathy, retinopathy, and circulation; 21% had complications with lower limbs; and 2.4% of cases resulted in amputation.
Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report released in 2015, our non-indigenous partners are just now realizing the devastating proportion of those affected by diabetes and the severity of complications of diabetes in our communities. However, together with our partners, community-based organizations, and individuals, NADA has been aware of the escalating and devastating impact of diabetes in our communities for over two decades.
Since its inception, NADA has created and implemented a wide range of clinical, health promotion, and support activities aimed at reducing the incidence and prevalence of diabetes and improving the health status of indigenous peoples, families, and communities across the nation. NADA has continually advocated for expansion of our capacity to deliver culturally appropriate and uninterrupted programming through education, prevention, and treatment strategies, as well as research initiatives.