Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy

Wrap Around Diabetes Prevention Program for At Risk Youth and Families

Norwest Co-Op Community Health Centre

Focus: Prevention, school-based screening, food security and nutrition

Target Population: High-risk children and youth aged 10-18

Reach: Inkster and Seven Oaks neighbourhoods, Winnipeg

Grant: $256,500

Project Goal

To implement a wrap-around diabetes prevention program for at risk children, youth and families. The project will expand the existing point of care diabetes screening clinics for adults to focus efforts on children, youth and families at risk for type 2 diabetes and/or kidney disease; provide connections to appropriate follow-up support; and engage participating youth and families in healthy food skills programming.

Project Overview

Led by the Norwest Co-Op Community Health Centre, this project will provide integrated diabetes care using a mobile service delivery model and point of care testing along with cooking and food skills programming to the most vulnerable urban populations focusing on children, youth and their families. An Indigenous Youth Ambassador and the NorWest Youth Co-op and Youth Advisory group will assist in developing a targeted outreach strategy to engage the target population. Procedures and protocols for school-based screening of vulnerable children and youth will be adapted from materials developed and evaluated by the Diabetes Integration Project/FINISH Project. The primary target population is children and youth in the Inkster and Seven Oaks communities with a secondary focus on other high-risk Winnipeg neighbourhoods. The partnership with the NorWest Community Food Centre will provide young people and their families with access to healthy food and food preparation/cooking programs and will encourage participation in the screening program.