The Association Between Food Insecurity and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Canada: A Population-based Cohort Study

Globally, there are over 200 million people living with type 2 diabetes. Aging populations, steadily increasing obesity rates, increases in sedentary behaviours, and decreases in diabetes-related mortality signal that the global prevalence of type 2 diabetes will continue to grow.

In Canada, type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions and is the 7th leading cause of mortality. Over the last decade, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Canada has increased by 72%, with 11 million Canadians currently living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. This number is expected to rise to 13.9 million (33% of Canadians) by 2026.

Much of the body of literature concerning type 2 diabetes focuses on management and control. Research that is geared towards prevention focuses heavily on the modification of individual risk behaviours, while less attention is given to the broader social determinants of increased type 2 diabetes risk.

Household food security is a broad measure of socioeconomic status that is not traditionally included in health research. Household food insecurity is experienced when there is uncertainty regarding, or disruption in, food intake or eating patterns by at least one member of a household due to financial constraints, resulting in inadequate or insecure access to food.

Food insecurity has been identified as a significant social and health problem in Canada . It was first measured in 2004, where it was estimated that 9.2% of Canadian households were food insecure. The most recent estimate from 2014 indicates that this number has risen to 12%, representing 3.2 million Canadians.