Overview
Project status: In progress
Approximately 7% of Australian adults have type 2 diabetes (AIHW, 2008). The rate of diabetes among Indigenous people over 3 times that of non-Indigenous people (AIHW, 2008). (Some estimates are as high as 8 times the rate of non-Indigenous people; see Watson et al., 2001). Australian Indigenous women are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than other Australian women; the rate among Indigenous women is 4 times that of non-Indigenous women (AIHW, 2008).
- Grantor
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- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
- Diabetes Australia (Queensland)
- Research team
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QUT
External collaborators
Andrea Sanders, Diabetes Australia (Queensland)
- Organisational unit
- Lead unit Faculty of Health Other units
- Research area
- Chronic Disease, Supportive and Palliative Care
Professor Debra AndersonDetails
The majority of cases of diabetes among Indigenous Australians are Type 2 at 98-99%, with only 1-2% being diagnosed as type 1 (AIHW, 2005). The death rate associated with diabetes is 37 times higher in Indigenous women compared to non-Indigenous women (AIHW, 2006). One of the complications of diabetes is the increased risk of cardiovascular risk. As a consequence of the high rates of type 2 diabetes in Indigenous women, the mortality rate due to cardiovascular risk has also dramatically increased (cited in Yeates & Tonelli, 2006).
Outcomes and significance
Our research evidence to date indicates that the needs of these Indigenous women are not being met. It is crucial to identify ways of engaging with Indigenous Australians with regard to their health (and healthcare) in order to reduce the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and other Australians. Therefore this project aims to provide the initial insights and information about how a lifestyle program may be able to be tailored to meet the needs of Indigenous women.
Partnerships
- The Northside Health Service District (NHSD)
- Cherbourg Aboriginal community
- Diabetes Australia (Queensland)
