Canadians at a tipping point; curbing diabetes in the country
Posted Apr 4, 2011 1:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A new report from the Canadian Diabetes Association suggests diabetes could soon easily spiral out of control in this country.
One in four Canadians have diabetes and some don’t even realize they have the disease.
Southern Alberta Regional Director Danny Nykolaychuck says something needs to be done to end this epidemic in Canada before it’s too late.
“That’s why we’re calling on governments, both federally and provincially to reduce the burden of diabetes,” he says. “We’re also looking at enhancing support for those living with the disease.”
According to the numbers, 41 per cent of those polled believe their children or the children they may have in the future, are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, 90 per cent of those believe diabetes is a serious impact on the healthcare system with 62 per cent believing it’s hurting the Canadian economy.
In Canada alone last year, 11 Billion dollars was spent treating the disease.
Analysts believe that number will balloon to 16 Billion by the year 2020.
“Only 20 per cent are directly impacted by the disease, if we look at managing and delaying complications we can have a significant impact in terms of cost savings,” he says.
Among the top factors leading to the rise, 84 per cent of people blame failure to take care of their own health while 81 per cent blame the food industry.
“Everyone needs to look at diabetes, the severity of diabetes and making changes today so we can have an impact on managing the disease effectively,” says Nykolaychuk.
