Poverty has a devastating impact on Canadians living with diabetes

In recent years, type 2 diabetes has been on the rise among low-income Canadians. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body fails to use or produce enough insulin, resulting in high blood glucose. It’s one of the leading causes of heart attacks, and can result in blindness and chronic kidney disease. It can also be managed, if not prevented. Indeed, research suggests that poverty – one of the social determinants of health – is a major factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. The social determinants of health are those living conditions that impact on health. For example, people who lack access to healthy nutrition and exercise facilities may be more vulnerable to type 2 diabetes than others. And yet, few studies have explored the experience of living with the disease from the perspective of people on a low income…

Publication Date: 
2012