Diabetes' rising toll

The prevalence of diabetes in Canada is increasing. Data from a 6-year comparison of the National Population Health Surveys and Canadian Community Health Surveys indicate that the proportion of Canadians with the disease rose from 3.4% in 1994/95 to an estimated 4.5% in 2000/01. The rate for men increased to 4.8% from 3.4%, while the rate for women rose to 4.2% from 3.3%.

The disease's incidence increased with age. Those in the 18-to-44 age group had 1.8 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk, but this rose to 14.2 cases for Canadians 75 or older. Age also continued to be a significant factor after controlling for factors such as family history, weight, physical activity, drinking, smoking and education.

For people with a family history of diabetes, the 6-year incidence rate was 9.7 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk, compared with 3 cases for those with no family history.

Obese and overweight Canadians are at greater risk. The 6-year incidence rate for obese people was 13.5 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk, compared with 6.1 for those who were overweight and 1.9 for those who were not overweight.

The data also point to a link between physical activity and diabetes, with an incidence of 5.8 new cases per 1000 person-years at risk for sedentary individuals, compared with only 2.7 new cases for those who are active.

Smoking and education, when adjusted for other factors, were not significantly related to incidence of the disease. — Tara S. Chauhan, Project Manager, Research, Policy and Planning, CMA

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