Local research on risk factors for diabetes has led a UNBC professor to develop a school education program that will be implemented nationwide.

Dr. Hanh Huynh has partnered with School District #57, the Vancouver Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and Concept Design of Prince George to develop a selection of screensavers that will be installed in elementary school computer labs. The screensavers advocate for the benefits of eating healthy foods and staying active to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes among children. The program was announced today during a provincial teachers conference.

Since last year, Dr. Huynh has been leading a research project in local elementary schools to establish the prevalence of overweight and obese children. It is estimated that 60% of all cases of diabetes can be attributed to weight gain.

“Compared to what is considered to be the national standard, students at the elementary schools where we have conducted our research are more overweight and obese. We must do something about this,” says Dr. Huynh, a professor in the Northern Medical Program. “Type 2 Diabetes in children was never even discussed in medical schools 10-20 years ago. Now, we’re seeing cases in children as young as 4 years old and doctors nationwide are scrambling to respond. Our screensaver project is a modest step but one that we feel is vitally important. We have to reach children and communicate to them the importance of eating healthy food and being active. It’s the best thing they can do for their future health.”

To download the screensaver, computers must have Quicktime installed.

Save the zip file to your computer; extract the file, and double click on the extracted file to run the screensaver.

“This is one of the ways that the NMP can give back to the community,” says Dr. Huynh. “This isn’t the kind of work that will be published in an academic journal or lead to a cure, but we’re hoping that it will have a big impact.”

Contact:
Hanh Huynh, Northern Medical Program professor, UNBC – 250.960.6444
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622

 

Click on the thumbnail below to download a high-resolution photo of Dr. Hanh Huynh.