Jonny Chard | Staff Writer
Featured image: Gluco-Fit, the new diabetes prevention program, will be offered at Tait McKenzie in partnership with York and the Canadian Diabetes Association. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
York’s Fitness and Lifestyles team has teamed up with the Canadian Diabetes Association to offer a new diabetes outreach program for the Jane and Finch community, thanks to an Ontario Sport Recreation Communities Fund grant.
The Gluco-Fit Project is a health and wellness program that combines exercise, nutrition and lifestyle education to give people the skills to better manage their diabetes and to understand the wider implications it may have, according to YFile.
The program looks to target those with Type 2 and pre-diabetes and aims to reduce the prevalence of the condition in the North York area through partnerships with the Black Creek Community Health Centre and the Jane and Finch Health Team. Participants will have the opportunity to work out at the Tait McKenzie Fitness Centre for three months with certified personal trainers, who will help them construct an exercise routine. After the three-month period is complete, participants will receive a nine-month membership to the Fitness Centre to allow them to continue the routine.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, 29 per cent of Canadians, or 11 million people, are classed as having diabetes or pre-diabetes, which marks a 72 per cent increase since 2006.
Diabetes can increase the risk of other serious health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol, poor blood flow and nerve damage.
In a recent study, it was determined that the Jane and Finch and Black Creek communities have twice the number of diabetes cases as the rest of Ontario, due to factors such as ethnic makeup, socio-economic status and genetics.
The average income is 23 per cent lower than the rest of Toronto, and a lack of access to community recreation facilities makes it difficult for many to maintain a level of physical activity.
Mark Smith, executive director at Jane Finch Family Health Team in Yorkgate Mall, stressed the importance of the program.
“The proximity to York University is a great advantage to our community, and the generous offering and availability of York facilities through this program is a wonderful opportunity for us as a practice,” said Smith.
“We see many potential benefits for our patients and look forward to their enrolment in the Gluco-Fit program,” he added.
The Fitness and Lifestyles team has also teamed up with Gluco-Fit Project Coordinator Alicia Koedel, Professor Rebecca Bassett-Gunter, master’s student Luma Ayyoub and volunteer student Tal Frankel, all of York’s kinesiology department.
Ayyoub is researching the effects of Brief Action Planning on exercise adherence. The hope is to increase the likelihood of participants continuing with exercise and benefiting from regular physical activity.
The team hopes a further grant will enable them to continue the program in September 2017.
