Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Over the past 20 years the numbers of Canadians diagnosed with diabetes has increased, and the age at which people develop diabetes has decreased. Diabetes is a serious disease because of the associated complications which include vision problems that can lead to blindness, kidney problems that can lead to the requirement for dialysis, nerve damage that can lead to lower limb amputation, stroke and heart disease. The rate of diabetes among Canadian First Nation people is three to five times greater than among the general Canadian population. Rates of diabetes complications are also significantly greater. In particular, heart and kidney diseases are responsible for a large amount of sickness and death among First Nation people with diabetes. In fact, First Nation people with diabetes are more likely to have and die from heart and kidney disease than are non-First Nation people with diabetes. Importantly, diabetes complications are not inevitable; prevention is possible through management of risk factors. We will test if heart and kidney disease can be prevented using a nurse-managed, community-based program for Manitoba First Nation people with diabetes that will include diet, physical activity and medications. This project is part of a larger National study, in which at least one First Nation community from each province will participate. In Manitoba we will partner with one First Nation community. We will assess the effectiveness of the intervention by measuring risk factors for heart and kidney complications such as weight, blood pressure, smoking reduction, cholesterol and other fats in the blood, blood sugar and factors in the blood that lead to break down of the blood vessels. This project can improve the health of Canadians by identifying strategies to prevent diabetes complications. This would be of benefit to individuals, the Canadian population and the over-burdened health care system.