Research Focus
SFBLF undertakes 3 types of research to:
- Raise awareness of the diabetes threat for youth and the challenges of living with diabetes
- Find insights that help us develop e-Learning courses and supportive tools for clinical innovation
- Highlight key research done by others that contributes to new knowledge on major issues such as surveillance data gaps, diabetes at school and comorbidities such as diabetes and mental health in youth
Research Approach
SFBLF uses a 2 stage approach to most of our research projects:
- Initial searches and investigations done by interns under the guidance of SFBLF Board members
- Verification by expert collaborative partners, nationally and internationally
Research Internship Program
Each year, SFBLF engages two or three undergraduate and/or graduate interns, usually for the summer but occasionally during the academic year, to assist with research on the selected diabetes-related ‘issue’ for that year.
Intern candidates are usually identified through collaborations with established cooperative programs at colleges and universities or through direct approaches by candidates. SFBLF will also consider volunteer internship opportunities at any time of the year subject to identifying a topic of mutual benefit. For more information, please contact info@banting legacy.ca
Research Results
e-Learning Courses and Risk Assessment Tools
- 2016 – Mental Health & Diabetes in Youth e-Learning course for healthcare providers and teachers
- 2016 – Type 2 Diabetes Risk Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Youth (8 – 18) [pdf copy]
- 2017 – Type 2 Diabetes Risk Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Youth (8 – 18) [online self-scoring]
- 2017 – Understanding Diabetes e-Learning course for youth and families
- 2020 – Food Insecurity Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Youth & Families to facilitate dialogue with healthcare providers
‘Issues’ Research
- 2017 – Youth Living with Diabetes and Comorbidities – Available Surveillance Data – A Status Assessment – including Canada, Australia, USA, UK
- 2018 – In-school Support for Youth Living with Diabetes – Canada.
An assessment of status at September 2018 with recommendations for parents, ministries, school boards, schools, Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS).
Report includes selected comparisons with Australia, UK, USA.
- 2020 – Youth-onset Diabetes in Indigenous Peoples – Canada and Australia – Executive Summary.
An assessment of current comparative status with views on “What’s Missing” and
identification of immediate priorities for action
- 2020 – Youth-onset Diabetes in Indigenous Peoples – Canada and Australia – Full Report.
An assessment of current comparative status with views on “What’s Missing” and
identification of immediate priorities for action
- 2022 – Rural Diabetes Coalition Collective Capability Report
A report on the programs and healthcare enabler collective capability in support of Prevention and Treatment of Youth-onset Diabetes in the RDC region: Dufferin, Grey, Simcoe Counties and the District of Muskoka
Advocacy
- 2022 – Rural Diabetes Coalition
A diabetes awareness and prevention initiative involving 4 Counties and with the target population being the 150,000 students in that region
- 2022 – SFBLF Input to Inform the Canadian National Diabetes Framework –
Recommendations for Context, urgent priorities, and content of the National Diabetes Framework document
Examples of recent research by others
Researching Diabetes Complications
Diabetes Action Canada www.diabetesaction.ca [March 2016]
- A Strategic Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) Network in Diabetes and its Related Complications, part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) SPOR Program in Chronic Disease.
- Mission is to transform the health outcomes of people with diabetes and its related complications. It will facilitate important and meaningful connections between patients, their primary healthcare providers, and specialists to improve health care and significant cost savings within the health system.
Improving the Surveillance of Type 2 in Youth
Incidence Trends of Type 2 Diabetes, Medication-Induced Diabetes, and Monogenic Diabetes in Canadian Children [October 2016] Dr. Shazhan Amed, BC Children’s Hospital, samed@cw.bc.ca
- Will examine national incidence trends in childhood-onset T2D by repeating the CPSP national surveillance study one decade later (2016-2018).
Surveillance for Canadian Youth Living with Diabetes – Recent Papers
Incidence and prevalence trends of youth-onset type 2 diabetes in a cohort of Canadian youth: 2002-2013, Amed S, Islam N, Sutherland J, Reimer K.. Pediatric Diabetes. 2017, Dec 27.
Type 1 diabetes incidence and prevalence trends in a cohort of Canadian children and youth. Fox DA, Islam N, Sutherland J, Reimer K, Amed S., Pediatric Diabetes. 2017, Aug 31.
Support for Diabetes at School
CPS Are we doing enough?
A status report on Canadian public policy and child and youth health [Canadian Paediatric Society] [retrieved Mar 23/18]