A toxic combination of poor social policies and programmes, unfair economic arrangements and bad politics: the experiences of poor Canadians with Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a serious life-threatening chronic disease whose prevalence is especially high among Canadians living in poverty. And these Canadians with T2DM in poverty are especially likely to experience serious consequences of the disease. Of special concern is Statistics Canada reporting an explosive increase in mortality rates from diabetes (of which 90% represent T2DM) in low-income urban neighbourhoods across Canada. We place findings from interviews with 60 Canadians with T2DM who live in poverty within the context of recent shifts in public policy that have affected the distribution of the social determinants of health. Findings of material deprivation among our participants indicate that it is almost impossible for these individuals to acquire the diet necessary to prevent the adverse outcomes associated with T2DM. These findings draw attention to consideration of the important role public policy plays in affecting the situation of people living in poverty who are afflicted with T2DM ...