Q5(highest income)

Q4

Q3

Q2

Q1(lowest income)

Employed

Unemployed, currentlylooking for work

Unemployed, currentlynot looking for work

Permanently unableto work

6.2

University graduate

Community college/Technical school/

University certificate

Some postsecondary

High school graduate

Less than high school

Diabetes can lead to:

serious health conditions (e.g. heart

disease, kidney failure)

disability (e.g. lower limb

amputation)

poor mental health

time lost from work

increased mortality risk

Pan-Canadian Health Inequalities Reporting Initiative

Inequalities in Diabetes in Canada

Canadian adults report having diabetes.*Diabetes is a challenging health condition that affects the most vulnerable.

The prevalence of diabetes among adults increases with lower socioeconomic status, especially among women.

Inequities experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations are a direct result of colonial policies and practices that included massive forced relocation, loss of lands, creation of the reserve system, banning of Indigenous languages and cultural practices, and creation of the residential school system. Unaddressed intergenerational trauma adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous peoples.

Factors that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes— or of experiencing negative health outcomes—include socioeconomic andenvironmental factors, being overweight or obese, physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour, poor nutrition and smoking.

To promote opportunities for all Canadians to achieve better health outcomes and address inequalities in diabetes requires improving factors that contribute to these inequalities, such as income and education levels, unemployment, poor working conditions, built environment, and access to prevention and care services (e.g. physical activity programs).

Follow us @GovCanHealth* Type 1 or 2 diabetes combined, excluding gestational diabetes.

Source: Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component (2010–2013).

For more data on health inequalities in Canada, visit: www.health-infobase.canada.ca/health-inequalities

Suggested citation: Public Health Agency of Canada. Key Health Inequalities in Canada: A National Portrait. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2018.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2019Cat.: HP35-113/11-2019E-PDF | ISBN: 978-0-660-29698-2 | Pub.: 180786

The prevalence of diabetes for Indigenous adults is:

The prevalence of diabetes is:

Diabetes by Employment Status Diabetes by Education Level Diabetes by Income Quintile

1.9XHIGHER

First Nations adults living off reserve

1.5XHIGHER

Métis adults

2.3XHIGHER

among South Asian adults

2.1XHIGHER

among Black adults

than non-Indigenous peoplethan among White adults

14.015.1

8.7

5.27.6

3.85.9

10.010.6

6.77.9

5.69.8

5.68.0

3.56.1

8.9

10.96.2

8.9

5.57.6

4.97.0

3.75.6

Men

Women

1 in 14ABOUT

Prevalence (%) Prevalence (%) Prevalence (%)

Complex social, environmental and behavioural factors result in inequalities in the burden of diabetes between certain populations in Canada.