Featured Publications

Hardil A Bhatt, Gillian L Booth, Ghazal Fazli, Calvin Ke, Chris Kenaszchuk, Lorraine L Lipscombe, Sarah Mah, Laura C Rosella, Deva Thiruchelvam, Baiju R Shah 

Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication. Studies have shown that the prevalence of GDM is rising worldwide. In this study we aimed to describe the prevalence of GDM in Ontario, Canada, between 2015 and 2021. 

Conclusions: GDM prevalence is rising, but the transient decline in the first year of the pandemic may reflect forgone GDM screening. Disparities in prevalence by age and income are not worsening. GDM is creating a growing burden for the health-care system, particularly for lower income individuals.

Ghazal S Fazli and Lorraine L Lipscombe

An editorial addressing the importance of adopting a health equity lens for addressing type 2 diabetes. In Canada and around the world, the rising burden of diabetes is overrepresented among low socioeconomic status (SES) and marginalized groups. These populations face a substantially higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), and those with type 1 (T1D) and T2D from disadvantaged groups are more likely to experience diabetes-related complications and premature mortality. This issue of the Journal highlights several important themes for our readers to inform future research, policies, and programs to reduce these inequities in diabetes burden.

Calvin Ke, Emaad Mohammad, Juliana C. N. Chan, Alice P. S. Kong, Fok-Han Leung, Baiju R. Shah, Douglas Lee, Andrea O. Luk, Ronald C. W. Ma, Elaine Chow & Xiaolin Wei 

There are gaps in implementing and accessing team-based diabetes care. We reviewed and compared how team-based diabetes care was implemented in the primary care contexts of Ontario and Hong Kong.

Diabetes care is most accessible and functional when integrated team-based services are automatically initiated upon diabetes diagnosis within a strong primary care system, ideally linked to a register with supports including specialist care. Policymakers and funders should ensure investment in skilled health professionals, infrastructure, and processes to improve care quality.

Chelsea D'Silva, Nuzha Hafleen, Elizabeth Mansfield, Sara Martel, Dianne Fierheller, Ananya Banerjee, Gurpreet Malhotra, Baldev Mutta, Puneet Dhillon, Zofishan Hasan, Amish Parikh, Reza Yousefi Nooraie, Ferzana Chaze, Ian Zenlea

Individuals from South Asian communities are known to have a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is often attributed to individual lifestyle and behavioural factors. This focus on individual responsibility can position communities as complicit in their illness, compounding stigmatization and systemic discrimination. In this article, we explore the social determinants of health (SDOH) that influence health behaviours among South Asian adults with T2D from a service provider's perspective.

Daniel Hunt, Krista Lamb, James Elliott, Bianca Hemmingsen, Slim Slama, Renza Scibilia, Kristen Whitney Daniels, Bente Mikkelsen

This study aimed to learn from people with lived experiences of diabetes to raise the quality of diabetes communications. Participants identified five key themes requiring more appropriate consideration in the media: accurately defining diabetes types, over-emphasis on sugar and lifestyle, negative impacts of diabetes stigma, burden of costs (financial, personal and interpersonal) and mental health. Irrespective of audience, key values-based messages identified as important for WHO to convey included: ‘urgency’, ‘preventing suffering’, ‘improving wellbeing’ and ‘meaningful engagement’ of people with lived experience.