Rapid increase in diabetes incidence among Chinese Canadians between 1996 and 2005

To examine trends in diabetes incidence among Ontario residents with Chinese and European origins.

Respondents to population-based health surveys in 1996, 2001, 2003, and 2005 who were aged≥30 years, who did not have diabetes, and who self-identified as having European (n=76,285) or Chinese (n=1,041) origins were followed for diabetes incidence through a validated administrative data-derived diabetes registry.

Age- and sex-standardized diabetes incidence increased from 1.3 to 19.6 per 1,000 person-years in the Chinese population and from 7.8 to 10.0 in the European population. Relative to the 1996 European population, the adjusted hazard ratio for diabetes was 4.50 (95% CI 1.89-7.49) for the 2005 Chinese population and 1.22 (1.05-1.39) for the 2005 European population.

Diabetes incidence increased much more rapidly between 1996 and 2005 in the Chinese population than in the European population, independent of age, obesity, and other risk factors.