Ottawa – In Canada, diabetes affects approximately 3.7 million people, with more than 200,000 new cases diagnosed every year, making it one of the most common chronic diseases. Evidence shows that some types of diabetes (type 2 and gestational diabetes) are more prevalent in certain populations, including racialized and marginalized communities.
Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced $250,000 in funding to support Diabetes Québec in developing culturally appropriate learning material on diabetes for the North African (Maghrebians) population living in Quebec. Through resources and activities, the organization aims to help individuals learn about prediabetes, and prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.
To meet the specific needs of Maghrebians living in Quebec, their loved ones, and the healthcare professionals and community organizations that serve them, Diabetes Québec will be developing and translating a variety of resources in Maghrebi Arabic including self-training modules and an InfoDiabetes platform, which will provide answers to questions from these target populations and feature information pamphlets. Diabetes Québec will also be providing online training, which will be offered in collaboration with Universi-D, Diabetes Québec’s diabetes school. This investment is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund.
“Diabetes is a serious disease and people deserve to have access to health information in an accessible and timely way. This funding will support Diabetes Québec to expand their resources and provide awareness and training on diabetes for Maghrebians living in Quebec. This will help improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for people affected by diabetes.” – Mark Holland, Minister of Health