Ontario Trillium Foundation Archives | Research & Innovation

New report shows 91��ɫ Region is a healthy and vital community

fmaquito — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit, in partnership with the 91��ɫ Region Community Foundation (YRCF), has released its first Living in 91��ɫ Region Vital Signs report.

Titled "Living in 91��ɫ Region: Our Community Check-up", the report presents context indicators for 12 issue areas and summarizes the opinions of more than 1,000 91��ɫ Region residents who attended focus groups and completed an online survey between March and June 2011. The project is part of a national initiative covering 22 Canadian communities.

The report provides baseline indicators and resident perceptions of how well the region's communities are faring in key quality of life areas such as learning, health, housing and the environment. It emphasizes the importance of connections in an area encompassing some 1,756 square kilometres of rural, forested and urban landscape and concludes that 91��ɫ Region is a healthy community.

“91��ɫ has been pleased to be part of this important project in 91��ɫ Region,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation at 91��ɫ. “This report will provide a baseline against which our knowledge mobilization and social innovation initiatives can be measured. We will now have the ability to describe the difference that research is making in the lives of our local communities.”

Staff from 91��ɫ's KMb Unit served on the project steering committee to support the strategic and operational objectives of the report. David Dewitt, former assistant vice-president research, served as the University's representative on the project's leadership council, which provided strategic oversight around the development, rollout and sustainability of the project. 91��ɫ alumna Marie Murnaghan (PhD '10) contributed to the project by seeking and analyzing data in the 12 indicator areas.

“This report, based on research and data as well as the experiences and voices of 91��ɫ Region residents, holds great potential in mobilizing action around the human services provision,” said Michael Johnny, 91��ɫ's knowledge mobilization manager. “The KMb Unit at 91��ɫ will continue to work with leaders and decision makers, using this report, to help support informed decision making on important issues to all residents of 91��ɫ Region.”

The report found that 91��ɫ Region residents have great pride in their communities, whether they are long-time residents or newcomers, but years of sustained growth – and the prospect of much more to come in the future – have created pressures in two key areas that require urgent attention.

The first area, subtitled Getting Around, highlights that infrastructure and services – and most importantly public transit – must keep pace with growth so people are able to move conveniently and efficiently within 91��ɫ Region and connect to neighbouring communities.

The second priority, subtitled Housing, asserts that there be more affordable choices and supports for people in emergency situations.

To these two priority issues the report adds a third that speaks of the need to build awareness and to better communicate 91��ɫ Region’s existing strengths. The issue, subtitled Navigating Existing Resources, highlights the importance of ensuring that people know what services and programs already exist in the region and how to access them.

The Living in 91��ɫ Region Vital Signs report is part of the Vital Signs national initiative comprised of annual community check-ups that are conducted by 22 community foundations across Canada to measure the vitality of communities. The project received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The full report can be downloaded from the �ɱ��ٱ�.��

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ partners with the Sault College in diabetes prevention program

fmaquito — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Sault College has partnered with 91��ɫ and the Garden River First Nation to deliver a pre-diabetes detection and physical activity intervention delivery program, also known as PRE-PAID, wrote :

The PRE-PAID project, funded by the and , targets groups at high risk for diabetes and uses a community-based approach to engage them in the physical activities they enjoy. The 91��ɫ study has been operational since November 2009, and several diverse ethnic neighbourhoods in the Toronto area have participated. The Sault College project will involve individuals of First Nations descent.

"The PRE-PAID team is very excited to partner with Sault College for this important initiative,” states Chip Rowan, Researcher and Certified Exercise Physiologist at 91��ɫ. “Through this partnership, we hope to extend our program to a community that has a well documented risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Through the provision of free screening and targeting individuals with pre-diabetes, we hope that our physical activity intervention program will prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes for as many people as possible."

Canadian Diabetes Association Regional Branch Co-ordinator, Janie Bringleson, says the statistics involving those with diabetes are alarming. Nearly 1 in 4 Canadians either has diabetes or pre-diabetes and more than 20 people are diagnosed with the disease every hour of every day. The Health Council of Canada states that diabetes is much more common, and growing more quickly, among First Nations adults, who are two to eight times more likely to have diabetes than the overall Canadian population, depending on age group. Researchers hope to show participants the benefits of engaging in no cost, enjoyable physical activities. Second, it is hoped that the project will demonstrate the importance of investing in exercise to prevent diabetes. Through these interventions they expect to reduce diabetes by 60%.

The complete article is available on . More information about the is available through the Research website archives.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ's Diabetes Prevention Program seeking volunteers for diabetes research study

fmaquito — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

In Canada, the Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean populations have a very high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, blindness, leg amputation and kidney failure in Canada.

A team of researchers from the Physical Activity & Chronic Disease Unit in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health is working on a new research project investigating ways to prevent this disease and its complications from developing. The Pre-diabetes Detection & Physical Activity Intervention Delivery Project (PRE-PAID) is examining the effectiveness of community-based interventions on the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

They are looking for Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean people who have pre-diabetes by screening members of these high-risk populations. 91��ɫ community members who are of these ethnicities are encouraged to take part in the project.

The project, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is now working with the Black Creek Community Health Centre and other community organizations to recruit Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean people who are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes based on their age (40 to 64 years old), risk factors (family history and weight) and a lack of physical activity.

Half of these people will take part in a six-month, supervised exercise program (free of charge) that will include a variety of fun activities, including dance activities such as socacize, Bollywood, line dancing and other physical activities. The other half of the participants will take part in a six-week educational workshop that provides hands-on instruction for diabetes prevention, including information about diet and physical activity education.

The goal of the program is to prevent people who are pre-diabetic from developing Type 2 diabetes. Previous research has shown that regular exercise and diet are the most effective ways to reduce Type 2 diabetes risk.

If successful, this program will lead to many more similar programs in other communities and prove that community-based interventions are possible and effective in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

The PRE-PAID team will be hosting pre-diabetes screening sessions every Monday morning on the Keele campus, from 7:45 to 11am, in 120 Norman Bethune College. Screening sessions will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

If you fit the above risk profile and are interested in becoming a participant in the project, contact Chip Rowan, PRE-PAID project coordinator, at 647-378-6777 or stopdiab@yorku.ca.

For more information, please visit the Diabetes Prevention Program Web site.

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New diabetes study on Type 2 diabetes, high-risk populations and fitness enters second phase

fmaquito — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Could screening high-risk populations for pre-diabetes and setting them up with culturally preferred fitness regimes prevent people from developing Type 2 diabetes and the secondary complications of heart and kidney disease, blindness and stroke?

That’s what several 91��ɫ researchers are hoping to find out. If successful, their Pre-Diabetes Detection and Physical Activity Intervention Delivery (PRE-PAID) Program could become the model for provincewide intervention.

91��ɫ Professors Michael Riddell, Norman Gledhill, Veronica Jamnik, Chris Ardern, Jennifer Kuk and Paul Ritvo in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science’s Physical Activity & Chronic Disease Unit in the Faculty of Health, along with 91��ɫ PhD candidate Chip Rowan, PRE-PAID project coordinator, are now deep into Phase 2 of their study and so far the results are promising. They have found there is an overwhelming need for programs such as PRE-PAID, as a high percentage of the participants tested already had pre-diabetes. In addition, there is a real lack of close and affordable fitness programs.

Right: From left, Michael Riddell, Veronica Jamnik, Chip Rowan and 91��ɫ students and certified exercise physiologists Ajay Rampersad and Thomas Bok

The researchers also found that to reach people in high-risk areas they need to tap into existing social networks and make community contacts, as traditional media campaigns are not that helpful. With community engagement, they were able to increase their visibility and build partnerships to fight diabetes.

The goal of the PRE-PAID program is to identify those individuals from the highest risk populations, including Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean, who have pre-diabetes, and to provide them with targeted, accessible and monitored fitness programs, and hopefully prevent them from developing Type 2 diabetes.

It could save lives and millions of health-care dollars. Health-care costs for the treatment of persons with diabetes in Canada amounts to $9 billion annually. In recognition of this burden, the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has made the treatment and management of diabetes a priority.

“The costs are anywhere between $2,000 and $15,000 a year per person with diabetes in direct and indirect costs, but if we can get that down to around $200 a year in investment for those with pre-diabetes to prevent the disease, that would save a lot. Not only that, but we can probably prevent six cases out of 10,” says Riddell. “We have to show this model will work and will save money in the long run over the health-care costs caused by the complications of diabetes. If we invest now in treating pre-diabetes, it will cost less in the future.”

Left: A participant undergoes a finger prick blood test to check sugar levels

The PRE-PAID Program has screened some 428 people, aged 35 to 64, from the communities of 91��ɫ, Jane and Finch, Malvern in Scarborough, and Agincourt for high risk, and are looking for more participants. A further 350 were given a finger-prick blood test, which measures the amount of sugar coating on red blood cells as a measure of average blood sugar control over the last three months. Of these, 238 were found to be pre-diabetic – all of whom were previously undiagnosed.

Right now, there is no outreach screening or treatment program in the province for people with pre-diabetes. This study, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is an important step toward changing that, say Riddell and Rowan.

Through community partnerships, all of those screened through the PRE-PAID Program with pre-diabetes are being given educational training on diabetes prevention and are provided with accessible and culturally preferred exercise sessions for six months.

Right: PRE-PAID participants in a bollyfit class

“The advantage of having the study at 91��ɫ is they can use the students from the School of Kinesiology to hold the classes and many of them are of the same ethnicity as the participants, so we’re breaking down some of the cultural and language barriers,” says Rowan. “Because we are so multicultural here, that really works.”

So instead of expecting study participants to join a gym and run on the treadmill for half an hour a day, the project offers things like bollyfit, socasize, reggaerobics, line dancing and tai chi in easily accessible community centres with certified exercise physiologists, for free. The participants are also asked to incorporate walking into their weekly routine.

Through the PRE-PAID Program, participants who have been identified as pre-diabetic are “provided with the opportunity and the encouragement. Then we track them to see how they comply,” says Rowan. “If it’s going to be sustainable, they really have to make that decision and that commitment.” The participants are assessed at the beginning, at three months and again at six months.

Some of the factors that stand in the way of participating in fitness programs are cost, time and priorities. “People are busy and have other pressing priorities, priorities we can’t even imagine,” says Riddell. “We’re trying to alleviate some of these barriers.”

By looking at studies done in the United States, India and China, “we know that by doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, about 30 minutes a day, five days a week, we can lower the risk of developing diabetes from a state of pre-diabetes by about 50 per cent,” says Riddell. “What is novel about this approach is we want to give them physical exercise that taps into culturally preferred activities. This is the first study I’m aware of that has done that.”

The incidence of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes continues to rise in Canada. It is estimated that about seven per cent (two million) of Canadians have diabetes with about half of them undiagnosed, while another five to seven per cent have pre-diabetes.

“All the research has shown that exercise is the most effective preventative tool, even independent of dietary change,” says Riddell. So it makes sense that people at the highest risk of becoming pre-diabetic would be caught early on.

The researchers are currently seeking funding for Phase 3 of the project. In Phase 3, the team will recruit an additional 500 to 1,000 subjects and will extend the eligible age range to 18 to 64, as recent findings have shown there is an increasing incidence of diabetes in young people.

The group is presenting some of their preliminary results at the International Congress on Physical Activity & Public Health, May 5 to 8 in Toronto.

For more information, visit the Diabetes Prevention Program Web site or contact Chip Rowan at 647-378-6777 or stopdiab@yorku.ca. For more information about diabetes, visit the Web site.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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91��ɫ's Diabetes Prevention Program seeks volunteers for a new study

fmaquito — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The project, funded by the and the , is now working with the and other community organizations to recruit Chinese, South Asian, African and African-Caribbean people who are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes based on their age (40 to 64 years old), risk factors (family history and weight) and a lack of physical activity.

If successful, this program will lead to many more similar programs in other communities and prove that community-based interventions are possible and effective in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.

If you fit the above risk profile and are interested in becoming a participant in the project, contact Chip Rowan, PRE-PAID project coordinator, at 647-378-6777 or stopdiab@yorku.ca.

For more information, please visit the Diabetes Prevention Program Web site.

Republished with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post 91��ɫ's Diabetes Prevention Program seeks volunteers for a new study appeared first on Research & Innovation.