TORONTO — New research suggests Ontario’s Metis residents face a significantly higher cancer risk than the province’s non-aboriginals.
A joint report from Cancer Care Ontario and the Metis Nation of Ontario outlines the aboriginal group’s cancer risk factors such as higher rates of smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity.
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For example, the report says nearly half of Metis in their 20s smoke, compared to 27 per cent of non-aboriginal Ontarians.
It says Metis people, who tend to be under-identified or under-represented in indigenous health research, are also less likely to be up to date with cancer screening tests.
Dr. Loraine Marrett, a senior scientist at Cancer Care Ontario, says in a release that the data underlines that the Metis community would benefit from programs framed in their community- and family-centric culture.
The study combined six years of data from Statistics Canada on the lifestyle factors that play the largest role in cancer risk.
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