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Within the First Nation population, some of the factors which have an influence on the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes include; poor diet, obesity, and lack of exercise or activity level and geographical location.
The conversion to a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar, away from a protein and fat based diet has been a major contributing factor in the increase of type 2 diabetes among First Nation people. This change away from the traditional diet has consequently led to the high rate of obesity.
Obesity has been clinically proven as a major factor in the development of type 2 diabetes due to the effect on insulin resistance. Living with obesity is a debilitating factor regarding activity and exercise.
Physical inactivity leads to a higher risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. It is due to the erosion of traditional ways of life related to hunting, trapping and fishing, which has caused the cultural shift towards inactivity (Ship, 2002). During the active ways of the past, diabetes would have been prevented by this necessary way of survival, which involved frequent exercise in daily activities. In todays life, Ship (2002) explains that nearly half of older Aboriginal people never leave their house in a day.
Geographical location plays a further role in increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes among First Nations communities. Diabetes ratetes vary considerably Canada wide, according to the geographical location. In British Columbia and in the north for example, there exists some of the lower numbers of First Nations people affected in comparison with the number affected across the country. In addition, studies have discovered that the prevalence of diabetes is significantly more on reserve than off reserve. The numbers on reserve were, 8.4% and off-reserve were 5.7%. (Bobet, 1998).
These risk factors work in a complex fashion to contribute to the magnitude of the problem of type 2 diabetes in First Nation communities
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