Rapid Increase in Diabetes Incidence Among Chinese Canadians Between 1996 and 2005

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in diabetes incidence among Ontario residents with Chinese and European origins. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.