N.L. still has highest rates of diabetes in Canada, new report says

Newfoundland and Labrador still tops the list with the highest rates of diabetes in the country, according to a new report from the Canadian Diabetes Association.

"If we don't do anything about this, what will those rates be in 2026?" asks Jake Reid, director of government relations and advocacy with the association's Atlantic Canada branch.

The association released its Newfoundland and Labrador 2016 report on Wednesday.

We need to get the right resources in the right places.- Jake Reid

It estimates that about 179,000 people in the province — about 35 per cent of the population — are either living with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or undiagnosed diabetes.

If nothing changes, Reid predicts that number will go up to 214,000 in the next decade.

"We look at prevention of Type 2 diabetes and we look at prevention of complications of diabetes, if you have it now," Reid told the Central Morning Show.

"And really, they're the same thing because the actions that you would take to prevent diabetes are the same things that would help you live well if you have diabetes."

Preventative measures are key

The report says the province also has high rates of risk factors which can be modified that contribute to diabetes.

Approximately 67 per cent of adults and 47 per cent of youth are overweight or obese.

More than one in five people smoke cigarettes, half of the population are deemed physically inactive, and more than 70 per cent do not eat enough fruits and vegetables.

Some non-preventative factors that are increasing the rates in Newfoundland and Labrador include an aging population, ethnic backgrounds and genetic factors, Reid said.

"You can live well with diabetes and that's a really important message," said Reid. "But if you don't, and you aren't well-managed, it can lead to all sorts of difficulties."

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Those difficulties include strokes, heart attacks, kidney failures and amputations. Those complications end up costing the health care system, and the individual, said Reid.

Need a provincial diabetes strategy

The association is asking the province to create a provincial diabetes strategy to help prevent and manage the disease.

It said this would also help alleviate some of the existing strain of the health care system.

Some key points, according to the association, are:

• Create a diabetes registry, to track diabetes-related statistics;
• Better access to diabetes medications, devices, and supplies, including insulin pumps;
• More public awareness campaigns about how to prevent the disease.

"We need to get the right resources in the right places, help to educate our health care professionals and tackle those very serious issues," said Reid.

Newfoundland and Labrador currently covers insulin pumps and pump supplies for people 24 years old and younger. 

There are about 11 million people in Canada living with diabetes, prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes, according to the association.