Diabetes in Toronto: Where You Live Makes a

Difference Rick Glazier, CRICH

October 2, 20072

Why diabetes?

• Obesity– 1 in 2 Canadian adults now overweight– overweight and obesity in children nearly

quadrupled since 1980s– related to sedentary living, eating habits

• Diabetes– obesity is the most important risk factor (type 2)– major cause of heart attack, kidney failure,

blindness, amputation– huge impact on quality of life and health care

costs

Today’s talk

• Provide highlights of a large body of work

• Stimulate discussion:– Your neighbourhoods– Implications for what you do

Methods: data sources• Administrative data

– Ontario Diabetes Database

• 2001 Canadian census– income, immigration, visible minority– population density

• Other data sources– CCHS– City of Toronto– Ontario food terminal– Land use files– Transportation Tomorrow Survey– 2001 Police reports

Who Lives Where?

High & low income households

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

30 - 50,000 50 - 75,000 75 - 100,000100- 150,000150- 375,000

Data Source: 2001 Census

Visible minorities

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

7-15% 16-30% 31-45% 46-65% 66-90%

Data Source: 2001 Census

People with diabetes*

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

2.8 - 4.1%

4.2 - 5.1%

5.2 - 5.8%

5.9 - 6.5%

6.6 - 7.6%

Data Source: Ontario Diabetes Database (*Age and Sex Adjusted)

Neighbourhood Resources

Groceries, fruits & vegetables

0.0 - 3.0 3.0 - 6.0 6.1-10.0 10.1-13.0 13.1-26.3

# outlets per 10,000 population

Data source: City of Toronto 2004 Employment Survey, Ontario Food Terminal data (Canadian Urban Institute)

Walk to groceries, fruit & vegetables (red 20-40 minutes)

Access to healthy resources (foods, parks, recreation, doctors)

Spatial relationship between geographic access to healthy resources and diabetes rates

St. Michael’s Hospital neighbourhoods are unusual

Neighbourhoods

Older and newer housing

Daily walking/biking trips per person

0.06- 0.100.11- 0.200.21- 0.300.31- 0.500.51- 0.76

# trips / person

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in TorontoData Source: 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (University of Toronto, 2001)

Daily transit (TTC) trips per person

0.10- 0.300.31- 0.400.41- 0.500.51- 0.600.61- 0.84

# trips / person

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in TorontoData Source: 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (University of Toronto, 2001)

Average number of cars per household

0.5- 0.70.8- 0.91.0- 1.11.2- 1.31.4- 1.6

# per household

Data Source: 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (University of Toronto, 2001) Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

“Activity Friendly” Neighbourhoods

Environmental Features:

– population density– service density– service proximity– car ownership – drug and violent crime rates

Activity-Friendly Neighbourhoods

2.2 - 3.43.5 - 4.14.2 - 4.95.0 - 5.7

5.8 - 7.2c

AFI

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

Diabetes & Activity Friendly Neighbourhoods

High DM rates High DM rates Low DM rates Low DM rates

Lower AFI score Higher AFI score Higher AFI score Lower AFI score

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

Key Finding # 1

• Diabetes rates are highest in areas that have:– lower income levels– higher unemployment rates – a higher percentage of population without

high school education– a higher proportion of visible minorities– high immigration rates

Key Finding # 2

• High diabetes areas tend to be outside of downtown and have generally worse:– access to resources– activity friendliness

Key Finding # 3

• Neighbourhoods are affected differently:– downtown high risk areas have lower

diabetes rates than expected

– wealthy areas have low diabetes rates, no matter their access to resources or activity friendliness

Team

• Rick Glazier and Gillian Booth, Editors

• Peter Gozdrya, Geographer

• Marisa Creatore, Epidemiologist

• Anne-Marie Tynan, Coordinator

• Kelly Ross, Jonathan Weyman, Students

Support

• St. Michael’s Hospital

• BMO Financial Group

• Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

Resources

www.TorontoHealthProfiles.ca

November 1, 2007

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy Living: A Focus on Diabetes in Toronto

Implications

• Make communities more activity friendly

• Reduce our dependence on cars

• Provide more opportunities physical activity

• More opportunities for healthy eating

• Enhance access to health services in high need areas

• Prioritize high risk neighbourhoods