This project will develop an intervention that will aim to decrease the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, or GDM, in urban-dwelling Indigenous people in Manitoba.

GDM is a serious health condition that can put both the pregnant person and the baby at risk for complications, both during pregnancy and well into the future. Preventing GDM is especially important for Indigenous people, as prevalence is high and many other health disparities are also present.

Country foods (foods supplied by the land) and lifestyle activities have many health benefits, including the prevention of type 2 diabetes and GDM. However, country foods and lifestyle activities are less available and accessible to urban-dwelling Indigenous people in Canada, and those at risk for GDM may not be able to benefit from them.

This project will work with urban-dwelling Indigenous people and stakeholders committed to improving Indigenous health to develop a GDM risk-reduction intervention that focuses on country foods and lifestyle activities. We hope that this intervention will lead to improved personal health of urban-dwelling, pregnant Indigenous people and contribute to overall better population health through the prevention of health risks and complications in future generations.