Cities Changing Diabetes aims to put urban
diabetes at the top of the global healthcare agenda
VANCOUVER, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Across the globe, and here
in Canada, cities like
Vancouver are on the front-lines
of the urban diabetes epidemic. The number of Canadians with
diabetes has doubled in the last 12 years, 1and that
growth continues with another person diagnosed every three
minutes.2
In Vancouver, a growing number
of cross-sector partners have teamed up to educate people on
diabetes risk and to fight urban diabetes – the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health,
the Canadian Diabetes Association, Simon
Fraser University and Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. They have
joined together to fight urban diabetes in Vancouver by first mapping the problem,
sharing the information and insights, and then acting
to implement solutions. Next steps are to leverage resources and
share key findings across Canada
to change the trajectory of the disease.
|
What:
|
A special event to
mark the beginning of the end of urban diabetes
|
|
|
|
When:
|
Monday, November
14th, 2016 (World Diabetes Day) at 10:00 a.m.
PST
|
|
|
|
Where:
|
The Robert Lee YMCA
gymnasium (2nd floor), 955 Burrard Street,
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Who:
|
|
|
- Ann-Britt Everett, Danish
Honorary Consul
- The Hon. Peter Fassbender,
Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
- Deputy Mayor, Councillor
Heather Deal, City of Vancouver
- Brian Hilberdink, President,
Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.
- Rick Blickstead, President
and CEO, Canadian Diabetes Association
- Dr. Joy Johnson,
Vice-President, Research, Simon Fraser University
- Dr. Rolando Barrios, Senior
Medical Director, Vancouver Community, Vancouver Coastal
Health
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The event will conclude with a soccer kick-off activity with
midfielder, Ben McKendry from the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Students from a local elementary school
will also be taking part in the soccer kick-off activity.
Join us in the fight against #UrbanDiabetes!
About Urban Diabetes
The rise of type 2 diabetes
remains one of today's greatest health challenges with 415 million
people living with diabetes globally.3 Cities are home
to more than half the world's population,4 and
two-thirds of people with diabetes live in urban
areas.3
The personal health burden of diabetes is significant—diabetes
costs individuals five to 15 years of life expectancy; it
contributes to 30 per cent of strokes, 40 per cent of heart
attacks, and 70 per cent of all non-traumatic amputations as well
as being a leading cause of
blindness.5
About Cities Changing Diabetes
Cities
Changing Diabetes is a commitment to pushing for urgent action
against urban diabetes on a global scale. The aim is to map its
extent, share solutions and tackle the growing challenge of
diabetes in the world's great cities, because we believe that when
businesses, city leaders and planners, healthcare professionals,
academics, and community leaders pull together, we can transform
our cities into healthier places to live, work and play – and bring
down the risk of urban diabetes. Vancouver joins the cities of Copenhagen, Houston, Johannesburg, Mexico
City, Shanghai, and
Tianjin in this global initiative.
To learn more about the Cities Changing Diabetes program, visit
citieschangingdiabetes.com.
Note: In Vancouver,
Cities Changing Diabetes is funded in part by Novo Nordisk Canada
Inc. Local partners will work collaboratively on the mapping,
sharing and action phases of this initiative.
1 Canadian Diabetes Association, & Diabète
Québec. (2011). Diabetes: Canada
at the tipping point- Charting a New Path. Retrieved October, 2016,
from
https://www.diabetes.ca/CDA/media/documents/publications-and-newsletters/advocacy-reports/canada-at-the-tipping-point-english.pdf
2 Canadian Diabetes Association. (2015). Types of
Diabetes. Retrieved October, 2016, from
http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/types-of-diabetes
3 Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 7th edn.
Brussels, Belgium: International
Diabetes Federation, 2015.
http://www.diabetesatlas.org/across-the-globe.html
4 United Nations. (2014). Urbanization - United Nations
Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Retrieved October, 2016, from
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/theme/urbanization/index.shtml
5 Canadian Diabetes Association. Diabetes in
British Columbia.
http://www.diabetes.ca/getmedia/ea061d58-065c-4add-84d6-0e3537de0600/diabetes-charter-backgrounder-bc-2016-06.pdf.aspx
SOURCE City of Vancouver