UBCO Professor Mary Jung created the Type 2 diabetes prevention program Small Steps for Big Changes.
What: Southern Medical Program’s Diabetes Awareness booth, with the UBC Small Steps for Big Changes Program
Who: UBC medical students, faculty, the Small Steps for Big Changes Program representatives and Orchard Park Shopping Centre
When: Saturday, November 16, from 2 to 4:30 pm
Venue: Orchard Park Shopping Centre (Best Buy entrance), 2271 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna
According to Diabetes Canada, one person is diagnosed with diabetes in Canada every three minutes. That’s why November is Diabetes Awareness Month.
“With around 12 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes, almost everyone has a connection to this condition. UBC Okanagan is well-known worldwide for conducting leading research on diabetes, particularly how exercise and diet can help prevent, manage and even reverse Type 2 diabetes,” says Professor Jonathan Little of the Faculty of Health and Social Development.
To help generate awareness within the Central Okanagan, the Southern Medical Program is hosting a free public event in partnership with UBC Small Steps for Big Changes and Orchard Park Shopping Centre on November 16.
Participants can learn more about diabetes risk factors and prevention, assess their risk levels and receive personalized guidance on prevention strategies.
Individuals at elevated risk of Type 2 diabetes will be invited to participate in a diabetes prevention program at local YMCAs during the event.
Mary Jung, a Professor in the Faculty of Health and Social Development at UBC Okanagan, founded Small Steps for Big Changes to address an alarming trend.
“Despite universal health care in Canada, rates of Type 2 diabetes and access to diabetes preventative care are both affected by racial, sex and gender-based health inequities,” she says.
“My family, like many families who immigrated to Canada, experienced this. I’m committed to ensuring all Canadians at risk of diabetes have access to effective, unbiased care delivered without discrimination.”
For more information, contact Dr. Tseegii Batchuluun, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Southern Medical Program, at tseegii.batchuluun@ubc.ca or 250 807 8690.
