What do you really know about type 2 diabetes?
September 22, 2016
TORONTO, Ont. –One in three Canadians already has diabetes or prediabetes and many don’t know it. Given those numbers, it’s surprising that there are still many misconceptions and myths around type 2 diabetes and who is at risk. This fall, the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) hopes to bust some of those myths while encouraging Canadians to learn their risk for developing type 2 diabetes and act on the results.
“Most Canadians have someone in their life with type 2 diabetes, possibly even someone in their own family, but they don’t worry about it because they think type 2 diabetes could never happen to them,” says Rick Blickstead, President and CEO of the CDA. “With this campaign, we want to educate people about the many risk factors and motivate them to find out their risk.”
The CDA is teaming up with Sun Life Financial and is encouraging Canadians to visit DiabetesTest.ca to take the online CANRISK test and learn their risk level.
“At Sun Life, we are thrilled to team up with the Canadian Diabetes Association to create awareness about type 2 diabetes and the steps everyone can take to prevent it,” says Paul Joliat, Assistant Vice-President, Philanthropy & Sponsorships, Sun Life Financial. “With a long-standing commitment to proactive and preventive health and wellness programs, we’ve focused our support on diabetes awareness, prevention, care and research, with over $13 million committed to date.”
Novo Nordisk Canada is also a sponsor of this campaign, which will run from mid-September until mid-December.
What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
Anyone over the age of 40 should be tested for diabetes every three years. Anyone who has one or more risk factors should be tested more frequently.
These type 2 diabetes risk factors include:
- Having a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes;
- Being a member of a high-risk group (Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian, or African descent);
- Having given birth to a baby that weighed more than four kilograms (nine pounds) at birth or having had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy);
- Having been diagnosed with prediabetes;
- Having other risk factors for blood vessel disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol);
- Being overweight, especially if that weight is mostly carried around the tummy.
See the complete list of risk factors for diabetes at diabetes.ca.
About the Canadian Diabetes Association
The Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) is the registered national charity that helps the 11 million Canadians with diabetes or prediabetes live healthy lives, and educates those at risk. In communities across Canada, the CDA:
- offers educational programs and support services;
- develops resources to health-care professionals on best practices to care for people with diabetes;
- advocates with those affected by diabetes to governments, schools and workplaces; and,
- funds research to improve treatments and find a cure.
For more information, visit diabetes.ca or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).
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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Krista Lamb
Communications Manager
Canadian Diabetes Association
Phone: 416-408-7088
krista.lamb@diabetes.ca
NT5
