Piloting the CANRISK tool in Vancouver Coastal Health

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Diabetes Screening
• Community Health

Background:

• Pilot study by Vancouver Coastal Health Authority's Healthy Living Program.
• Validated the Canadian Diabetes Risk Assessment Questionnaire (CANRISK).
• Aimed to screen for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and prediabetes.

Purpose of the Study:

• Test feasibility and acceptability of CANRISK in urban ethnic groups.
• Increase awareness of DM and prediabetes risk factors.
• Develop resources for lifestyle modification.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 556 participants from diverse ethnic groups (East Asian, Caucasian, South Asian, Latin American).
• Participants completed CANRISK and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT).
• Offered brief diabetes prevention sessions and lifestyle change resources.

Main Results:

• 17% had prediabetes and 3% had diabetes based on OGTT.
• Over 90% found CANRISK wording clear and information useful.
• OGTT identified 11% with impaired glucose tolerance missed by fasting glucose tests.

Conclusions:

• CANRISK is a feasible and acceptable screening tool for diverse urban populations.
• OGTT is crucial for identifying impaired glucose tolerance.
• Educational interventions in participants' native languages were provided for abnormal results.