Aboriginal leaders and health experts will gather in Canberra today (12 March) to debate key actions needed to address the diabetes epidemic facing Indigenous Australians.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Diabetes Policy Forum will bring together experts in Indigenous health and diabetes to develop key national priorities and action plan to address the epidemic.

“Diabetes is arguably the major health crisis facing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” said Diabetes Australia CEO, Professor Greg Johnson.

“Addressing the epidemic of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes and improving self management must be a national priority.

“The incidence of diabetes in this community is 4.7 times higher than the non-Indigenous population.

“Enough is enough – it’s time to act and that’s why we’re bringing together the nation’s leading experts to tackle this epidemic head on.”

Indigenous Australians are 12.8 times more likely to die from diabetes-related complications than non-Indigenous.

“It’s a national tragedy – and it’s largely preventable,” said Professor Johnson.
Among the leaders and experts gathering for the Forum is Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon MP, Member for Hasluck and incumbent Chair Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group Ken Wyatt MP, Lisa Briggs, CEO National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and Jill Gallagher AO, CEO Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Adrian Carson, CEO Institute for Urban Indigenous Health and John Boffa and Donna Ah Chee, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.

Professor Johnson said the approach required working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to support the real world implementation of evidence-based programs.

Experts at the forum will discuss the diabetes burden within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, how to address the cycle of diabetes prevalence across generations, the need for a more robust Indigenous health workforce and more locally-relevant programs to increase awareness of the seriousness of this condition.

Participants will consider the role of:
• Increased screening and risk assessment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• Targeted prevention for high risk people and communities, including community based lifestyle intervention
• Better self management education so people with diabetes can stabilise their condition and reduce the risk of complications.
• Development programs and mentoring arrangements for the Indigenous health workforce
• Programs to address social determinants impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, such as gaps in education, employment and housing.

Forum participants will agree on a shared action plan and policy priorities during a final facilitated session being held at Parliament House Canberra at the House of Reps Alcove.

Notes:

Indigenous children and young people are being increasingly diagnosed with type 2 – likely associated with being exposed to diabetes during pregnancy, as well as family and community factors.

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia.

Across the nation, the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise with estimations at least 1.5 million Australians have diabetes and an additional 280 new cases diagnosed each day.

Download:
AGENDA_FINAL.PDF
Ben Dahlstrom, Diabetes Australia