Vancouver community centres offer free diabetes screening on World Diabetes Day
The Vancouver Park Board is partnering with Diabetes Canada for the second year in a row to screen individuals that may be at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Wednesday, on World Diabetes Day, eight community centres across the city will offer free risk assessments for the disease.
"We'll be administering CANRISK," said Mario Miceli, the Diabetes Canada advocacy chair for B.C. and Yukon. "CANRISK is the Canadian diabetes risk questionnaire. It's a simple two minute test that informs whether you are at higher risk of having pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes."
Participants will be asked questions about family history, heritage, diet and activity level.
Diabetes Canada estimates seven per cent of Vancouver's population has diabetes and expects the number to grow to 10 per cent over the next decade.
About 90 per cent of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, where the body makes insulin but cannot use it properly.
Symptoms are slower to progress in Type 2 diabetes, making early screening and detection all the more important.
"Early identification of the disease provides a better opportunity to manage the disease that may not require medication," explained Miceli.
He says there's no need to panic for those who end up with a medium or high risk assessment.
"I think there's a misunderstanding about diabetes that, 'oh my god my life has to change,'" said Miceli. "It could be as modest as a lifestyle change, making some small changes to preclude you from developing the full blown diabetes."
He recommends participants take their risk rating to their physician when asking for testing.
Free diabetes screening will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m at the following community centres:
Britannia Pool, 1661 Napier St.
Champlain Heights, 3350 Maquinna Dr.
Hastings, 3096 E Hasting St.
Hillcrest, 4575 Clancy Loranger Way.
Kensington, 5175 Dumfries St.
Mount Pleasant, 1 Kingsway.
Ray Cam, 920 E Hastings St.
Sunset, 6810 Main St.
