Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have the fourth highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world. It is estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have the disease. This rate is around four times higher than that for non-Indigenous Australians. Type 2 diabetes represents a major public health problem for Indigenous Australians with a much earlier age of onset and the risk of developing diabetes related complications resulting in a significant burden of disease in terms of mortality, hospitalisations and a range of financial and human costs.  Click here to watch a free video episode or listen to a podcast on this important issue for your own professional development, brought to you by the Rural Health Education Foundation and supported by ACAP NSW.

The death rate in Indigenous communities is believed to be up to 17 times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians, mainly due to high levels of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease associated with diabetes. Complications include a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, eye disease, kidney disease and nerve damage, which may result in traumatic injury, infection and possible limb amputation.

Chronic diseases such as diabetes and those related to it account for 59% of the difference in mortality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, making it imperative for health services to adopt a comprehensive and culturally appropriate response to risk factors and management in primary health care.

This program explores the question of how diabetes can be prevented in Indigenous communities and the issues around diet, obesity, physical activity, poor living conditions and low socioeconomic status. It focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to the detection and diagnosis of diabetes. The program also examines evidence based approaches to the management of diabetes, hypoglycaemic control and diabetes-related complications among Indigenous Australians.

Click here to watch a free video episode or listen to a podcast on this important issue for your own professional development, brought to you by the Rural Health Education Foundation and supported by ACAP NSW.