There are high rates of diabetes in First Nation people compared to the general Canadian population.
[1] Contributing factors to the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes between First Nation and the general population include a combination of environmental (lifestyle, diet, poverty), and genetic and biological factors (e.g. thrifty genotype hypothesis, thrifty phenotype).
[3] Rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in First Nation communities were non-existent 20 years ago, but increased steeply.
[4] Age-standardized rates of T2D show 17.2% prevalence of T2D among First Nations individuals living on reserves, compared to 5.0% in the non-Aboriginal population;[1] Statistics indicate that the T2D prevalence rate in First Nations people is 3 to 5 times higher than the general Canadian population.
[9] The Government of Canada has policies and programs in place aimed at improving the health of Aboriginal people.
The current Phase 3 includes healthy living initiatives for children, youth, parents, and families; diabetes in pre-pregnancy and pregnancy; community-led food security planning; and enhanced training for health professionals on clinical practice guidelines and chronic disease management strategies.