A publicly funded diabetes prevention program could benefit Canada

Adopting a diabetes prevention program (DPP) in Canada like the National Health System (NHS) England program could help prevent type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes and save costs, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

“Our analyses indicate that implementing an NHS England–style DPP in Ontario and Quebec would be cost-effective — and likely cost saving — over a 35-year horizon for adults with prediabetes,” write postdoctoral student Dr. Nisha Gupta, senior author Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, and others from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, with NHS DPP founder Dr. Jonathan Valabhji.

Based on evidence from clinical trials in several countries that showed structured programs combining dietary and physical activity can prevent diabetes in people with prediabetes, the NHS England adopted the world’s first national, publicly funded DPP. No publicly funded DPPs exist in Canada, despite estimates that as many as 1 in 4 adults in the country have prediabetes. In 2022, Canada released a diabetes framework that calls on provincial and Indigenous governing bodies to build community-based programs to help address increases in new cases of diabetes. 

The authors modelled a DPP program and compared it to usual care in Quebec and Ontario, Canada’s most populous provinces. They found the program improved quality-adjusted life years and reduced costs compared to usual care. The costs of prevention appeared to be less than the cost of treating diabetes after it develops.

“The NHS England DPP represents a compelling model for Canada, given its demonstrated cost-effectiveness and the structural similarities between English and Canadian health systems. In both Canada and England, most of the population is White, but both countries have large proportions of people from other racial or ethnic backgrounds,” write the authors.

However, they note that Canada would need an Indigenous-led DPP to meet the specific needs of Indigenous Peoples to align with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to address colonial injustices. 

“Our findings support the potential value of investing in DPPs in Canadian provinces and highlight an opportunity to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes. Successful implementation in a single province could facilitate broader adoption, reduce the number of people developing type 2 diabetes and downstream health care costs, and inform future federal coordination and funding efforts,” the authors conclude.

“Cost-effectiveness of implementing the National Health Service England Diabetes Prevention Programme in Canada: a modelling study” was published September 28, 2026.

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