Diabetes and Migration in Canada
Objective and Approach
This project is part of the International Collaborative Study on Migration and Diabetes.
The research will investigate the relationship between migration and diabetes by assessing experiences with diabetes, and behaviours and socio-economic conditions affecting its risk, prevention, treatment and management among migrants and non-migrants; it will also examine the roles of the healthcare system, as perceived and practiced by healthcare personnel working with immigrants.
The Toronto component, coordinated by Access Alliance, will involve 4 immigrant communities (Mandarin-speaking immigrants from China, Tamil-speaking immigrants from Sri Lanka, Urdu-speaking immigrants from Pakistan, and Bengali speaking immigrants from Bangladesh), a comparison sample of non-immigrants, as well as diabetes health care providers. These immigrant groups were chosen for several reasons: they experience a high risk of developing diabetes post-migration; they are large and growing communities in Toronto; they experience major social, economic and linguistic barriers to care; and the project team has excellent working relationships with these communities thus ensuring the project’s success in planning, outreach, recruitment and sharing of the results.
Dr. Ilene Hyman is the Principle Investigator on this project on behalf of Access Alliance.
Project Activities
The project team consists of:
- Qamar Zaidi, Research Coordinator
- Sivajini Sivasamy, Assistant Research Coordinator
- Khaleda Yesmin, Peer Researcheri Bengali Community
- Ying Zhou, Peer Researcher, Chinese Community
- Dragan Kljujic, Data Manager and Survey Programmer and Designer
Data was collected using the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) methodology. All research staff have been trained to use CAPI. Findings from this study will be shared with the researchers and health care and community agencies using a variety of formats (e.g. journal publications, presentations at scientific conferences, workshops).
For more information on the project activities and prelimary findings, please click here (pdf, 1MB).
Project Advisory Committee
- Diabetes Education Centre North-East Toronto (DEC NET)
- AWIC (formerly Asian Women in Canada)
- West Toronto Diabetes Education Program
- Tamil Eelam Society of Canada
- Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee
- Canadian Diabetes Association (South Asian Chapter)
- Vasantham –Tamil Senior’s Wellness Centre
- Providence Healthcare -Tamil Caregiver Project
Funder
- Public Health Agency of Canada
