In the context of the escalating epidemic of diabetes and related chronic conditions among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is vital that we reduce risk as early as possible in the life course. We have developed a partnership between researchers, health care providers, policy organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Northern Australia, to address the issue of intergenerational diabetes in the high-risk population of these regions. The Diabetes across the Lifecourse: Northern Australian Partnership commenced in 2010 as the Northern Territory Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership. Our work is now across the lifecourse, with a focus on youth and pregnancy; and we work across the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Far North Queensland. The Partnership’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory group provides strategic advice concerning all aspects of the Partnership and provides advice and Indigenous knowledge on the best ways to ensure the research is conducted in a culturally appropriate way.
Our Partnership includes work with health service providers and Aboriginal communities to optimise antenatal care and to co-design and implement strategies to reduce diabetes-related risks before, during and after pregnancy, particularly among young women with type 2 diabetes. The PANDORA Study (Pregnancy And Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes in Remote Australia), a longitudinal birth cohort, sits within our Diabetes Lifecourse Partnership, and involves over 1100 women (of whom half are Aboriginal women), and their children. The third body of work in our Partnership involves work to co-design, implement and evaluate youth-friendly and culturally-appropriate models of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth with type 2 diabetes.