Grant: Project Grant

Nearly 2½ million people are affected by diabetes in Canada, but rates among First Nations people are much higher compared to other people in Canada. We recently completed a collaborative project between academic researchers and First Nations partners to study the impact of diabetes on First Nations people in Ontario. We found that the rate of diabetes was more than double that of other people in Ontario. In addition, we showed that diabetes was growing especially quickly for First Nations children. As a result of our work, the Chiefs of Ontario identified diabetes in children and young adults as a high priority for ongoing research, so our study team has turned to focus on this issue. First Nations people have experienced historical and colonial policies of discrimination. These experiences continue through intergenerational traumas, such as the residential school system and ongoing high rates of incarceration and child apprehension. The goal of this research study will be to examine the intergenerational impacts of diabetes among First Nations mothers and children in Ontario. We will identify mothers with and without diabetes in pregnancy. We will compare their children for the development of diabetes in childhood or young adulthood. We will focus, in particular, on people living in urban areas, as they represent 30% of the First Nations population in Ontario but less is known about their health status. We will work with the Chiefs of Ontario to establish an Advisory Group of First Nations people selected from different communities with a personal connection to diabetes. This group will help us understand and contextualize the results, and will help us point to approaches to move forward.