 Professor James A Dunbar
Project:
Greater Green Triangle, University Department of Rural Health, Flinders University and Deakin University
Funding:
Supported by the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development Strategy and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Diabetes Prevention Pilot Initiative |
  There is strong evidence from clinical trials that lifestyle changes can more than halve the incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).
With more than 40,000 new cases of T2DM reported in Australia each year - compromising individual quality of life and increasing the burden of treatment - prevention is a desirable strategy.
The Greater Green Triangle Diabetes Prevention Project worked with three rural general practice clinics in Victoria and South Australia to implement a lifestyle modification program to prevent the onset of T2DM in a ‘real world’ primary care setting.
A total of 311 at risk adults participated in the project’s series of structured group-counselling sessions, covering nutrition and physical activity. Significant improvements were seen in weight, waist circumference, glucose and lipid, and psychological measures. It was estimated that these outcomes reduced the risk of T2DM by 40%. The gains achieved were sustained over the following 18 months.
The study provided decisive evidence that using a lifestyle intervention program in primary care is feasible and can significantly reduce the risk and burden of diabetes.
Already its results have led to ‘Life! Taking Action on Diabetes’, a primary care-based lifestyle modification program for 25,000 Victorians aged 50 years and over and Aboriginal Victorians of all ages, and informed the standards for national Medicare items for general practice diabetes prevention.
View the project abstract on ROAR
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