Money will go towards Type 2 diabetes prevention programs
On Nov. 18 Concordia’s PERFORM Centre received a $50,000 grant from the Medavie Health Foundation. This association develops partnerships and rewards grant programs to different organizations benefitting families that have youth living with Type 2 diabetes and mental health issues.
The PERFORM Centre on the Loyola Campus provides innovative research along with the promotion and education of healthy living techniques through various programs and services. The PERFORM Centre has a program targeted towards young families to help educate them on healthy lifestyle behaviour through nutrition and exercise, aiding in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. This program is managed by Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, an expert in preventing and caring for Type 2 diabetes.
“We want to export the program from the PERFORM Centre into other community settings,” said Dasgupta. “Our long term aim is to make it sustainable and available in a variety of settings.”
Executive director of the Medavie Health Foundation Patty Faith said that the program at Concordia was very appealing to the grants review committee because the program seemed to be a dependable opportunity to help Type 2 diabetes prevention. In particular Faith said what helped the committee choose the PERFORM Centre is a program teaching healthy food and lifestyle skills, which can also help benefit the families of women at risk of gestational diabetes.
“There are … studies that show that children of women who have had gestational diabetes are also more likely to develop it,” said Faith. “As a wrap-around program benefiting these women and their families [is] very appealing to us as an opportunity [to act preventatively].”
Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy when a body cannot generate the proper amount of insulin, leading to an increase in blood sugar. Women who have had gestational diabetes during their pregnancy are seven times greater to re-develop it during their lifetime.
This is the third grant the PERFORM Centre has received to help achieve long-term health care ambitions , but this is the first grant Medavie has given to a facility within Concordia University.
Dasgupta said, “there may be opportunities in the future for Concordia students to become involved (particularly those in kinesiology). We will need extra hands in the community settings!”
When asked what the PERFORM Centre would put this grant towards, Faith said, “It’s not a grant that’s being used to fund equipment or anything like that, this is very focused on programming.”
This grant will continue to help provide support to families and women by promoting knowledge of healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
To become involved in Type 2 diabetes prevention or to find out more information on the facilities offered at the PERFORM Centre, visit www.concordia.ca/research/perform.html.
