Two diabetes prevention projects win $1.25 million each

By Your Southwest Media Group

Two proponents of new ways to counter Type 2 diabetes have won $1.25 million to scale up their ideas.

One organization that won a grand prize in the Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Challenge developed a nutritious diet for Indigenous people after working with communities in Saskatchewan and elsewhere. The other winner developed a partnership to train community health workers to use a "digital health platform" to coach others, a federal statement said.

Kinvia, based in Toronto and formerly known as Canadian Feed the Children, created the diet for Indigenous people after collaborating "with six Indigenous communities across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick," the statement said.

Its goal is "to reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes and improve overall health of Indigenous youth by increasing accessibility to fresh produce via 365-day greenhouses," it explained.

The digital project of the Black Creek Community Health Centre, based in North York, Ont., is intended "to improve the sustained adoption of health behaviours across this Black and high-risk community in northwest Toronto," the statement said.

The challenge "connected innovators and partners to break down barriers and turn prevention strategies into action," said federal health minister Marjorie Michel.

"Both projects demonstrated innovation and long-term potential to support people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes," the statement said. People contract this form of diabetes "due to many factors, including social, economic, environmental and genetic influences," it said.

"Supporting equitable access to prevention, early detection and care, alongside promoting overall well-being through physical activity, tobacco cessation and nutritious eating, can help reduce the risk of developing pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes and improve health outcomes for all," it added.