Improving the management of Diabetes in Pregnancy in Remote Areas: Darwin, Alice Springs, Cairns

Background

The overwhelming burden of chronic disease in Indigenous Australians largely explains the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It is vital that strategies to improve this situation target the causes of chronic disease from as early as possible in the life course. Diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) provides exposure to high glucose levels before birth which can result in the child developing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. The mother is also at increased risk of these chronic conditions following a pregnancy with gestational diabetes.

Aims

To improve systems of care and services for women with diabetes in pregnancy in remote Australia.

Project plan

To expand the Northern Territory (NT) Diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) Clinical Register across all regions of the NT, thereby scaling-up and extending coverage of an innovative clinical system.
To establish a DIP Clinical Register in Far North Queensland (FNQ).
To develop, expand and extend an enhanced model of care and augment health care professionals’ capacity for managing DIP across all regions of the NT and FNQ.
To improve maternal health post-partum for NT and FNQ Indigenous women with DIP with a systems-based intervention.
To build capacity in Indigenous health research and share knowledge with Canadian researchers in the field of diabetes and DIP among Indigenous populations.

Publications and output

To access publications and other outputs relating to this project, see our publications webpage and our case study

GACD have also published an end-of-programme report, providing a comprehensive summary of the programme and outcomes. More information about the Hypertension report is available here.

You can also visit the project website for more information.

Team members

Federica Barzi Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Alex Brown University of South Australia, Australia
Christine Connors Top End Health Services, Australia
Anthony Hanley University of Toronto, Canada
Elizabeth Hammond Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Jeremy Oats University of Melbourne, Australia
Kerin O’Dea University of South Australia, Australia
Jonathan Shaw Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia
Ashim Sinha Cairns Hospital, Australia
Mark Wenitong Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Australia
Cherie Whitbread Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Paul Zimmet Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia
Renae Kirkham Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Diana MacKay Menzies School of Health Research, Australia
Anna McLean Cairns Hospital, Australia