Diabetes and Indigenous Australians: A Health Policy Report (HSH702)

This report examines the contemporary health issue of diabetes in Australia, focusing on the role of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) in addressing the rising prevalence of the disease. The report highlights the disproportionate impact of diabetes on Indigenous populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, citing statistical evidence of higher morbidity and mortality rates. It explores the ADEA's mission, objectives, and its efforts to educate healthcare professionals and promote evidence-based practices. The report identifies the need for targeted policies to improve diabetes management within Indigenous communities, including education, culturally safe healthcare services, and community programs. Recommendations include short-term health programs, culturally appropriate care, and government-supported community initiatives to promote self-management and access to essential resources. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive strategies to address the diabetes epidemic and improve health outcomes for all Australians, especially the Indigenous population.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY HEALTH ISSUES
CONTEMPORARY HEALTH ISSUES
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Background:
The Australian Diabetes Educators Association also known as the ADEA was
established in the year 1981 (ADEA 2019). The association at present has emerged as the
leading Australian organization that provides education and training to the health care
professionals who deal with Diabetic patients. It should be noted in this context that the
ADEA introduced a certification trademark in the year 1986, in relation to the Credentialed
Diabetes Educator (CDE) (ADEA 2019). Further, the organization through the years has
implemented a professional recognition as well as development program that offers support
to the diabetes educators who are continuously endeavouring to achieve the mission and the
vision of CDE.
The organization primarily promotes the evidence based best practices in relation to
Diabetes education so as to ensure optimal wellness for the patients suffering from Diabetes.
The organization is a premiere institution that imparts knowledge to health practitioners in
order to optimise the quality of service provision in relation to Diabetes (ADEA 2019). The
organization regards Diabetes as an area of speciality practice. Further, the organization
offers several post graduate courses in relation to Diabetes care and management. It has
established specific standards and guidelines in relation to the practice of Diabetes education
and management. The ADEA enhances the professional skills of the healthcare professionals
by means of the credential and re-credential program that aims at promoting professional
development (ADEA 2019). The organization also offers learning and training opportunities
for professionals who are non-members. Further, the organization serves the member
organization by organizing a number of professional development activities and events that
helps in continuously stimulating the learning process.

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The vision of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association is to render excellence in
the field of Diabetes support to all the Australian citizens (ADEA 2019). The mission of the
organization to effectively lead and advocate for the best practices in the field of Diabetes
education and care. The organization has a set of objectives that aims to improve the quality
of Diabetes care and management across the Australian territory (ADEA 2019). The
organization exclusively believes that it is the right of the people, their care providers as well
as the family members who are at an increased risk of developing Diabetes to access
education and support materials so as to deal with the nature of the disorder (ADEA 2019).
Also, the organization upholds its vision by offering support to the members by sharing with
them the best evidence based practice so that they are able to render appropriate services to
the people suffering from the disorder.
The organization is a national association with its administrative office based at
Canberra. It has its branches across all the Australian territories (ADEA 2019). The primary
ideology followed by the organization is to impart education and disseminate awareness in
relation to Diabetes so as to alleviate the standard of living of the people suffering from the
disorder and empower them with self-management strategies such that they are able to deal
with the associated disease burden.
Health Issue/ Problem:
The Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) is a premiere organization
that deals with developing the skillset of the care professionals who are engaged in the
process of caring for Diabetes. The organization primarily deals with Diabetes as the disorder
and makes use of the evidence based knowledge in order to conduct training for the care
professionals so that they are able to educate the patients and empower them self-
management strategies to deal with the disorder (ADEA 2019).

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According to Browne et al. (2013), Diabetes has emerged out as an epidemic that has
affected approximately 1.7 million Australians. The rising prevalence of the disorder has
posed a serious challenge to the Australian health care system for effective control and
management. As stated by Gibson et al. (2015), 1.2 million Australians at present are
diagnosed with Diabetes Type II and it is estimated that more than 50,000 cases are either not
diagnosed or remain unreported. The total annual estimated cost in relation to Diabetes has
been calculated equivalent to $ 14.6 billion (McNaughton, 2013). Also, it has been mentioned
that for every diagnosed individual suffering from Diabetes, there is a family member who
plays the supporting role in the management of the disease. This means that on an everyday
basis a total of 2.4 million people are living with diabetes (Gibson et al., 2015). Diabetes is
related with a number of complications that include, vision impairment or Diabetic
retinopathy, amputations or cardiovascular disorders. As per Diabetesaustralia.com.au
(2019), Diabetes education and self-management strategies can help in better management of
the disease outcome and lessen the associated disease burden. The prevalence of the disorder
on the basis of self-reported data has tripled in between 1989-90 t0 2014-2015
(Diabetesaustralia.com.au, 2015) The increase in the self-reported data has increased from
1.5% to 4.7% which suggests that people are more aware about the incidence of the disorder
(Health.gov.au, 2019).
However, it is important to note in this case, that the burden of the disorder has
majorly affected the disadvantaged proportion of the Australians, which includes the
Aboriginal and the Torres Islanders. According to Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au (2019), it has
been mentioned that Aboriginal and Torres Islanders at three times more likely to suffer from
the disorder against the non-indigenous Australians. Also, statistical evidence suggests that
aboriginal women are twice more likely to suffer from gestational Diabetes against the non-
indigenous Australian women (Jacklin, 2013). Also, the evidence base suggests that the

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aboriginal children are 8 times more likely to suffer from Diabetes type II. Also, research
studies suggest that the mortality rate in relation to Diabetes is higher among the aboriginal
community members when compared with the non-aboriginal Australians
(Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2019).
Further, upon evaluating the evidence base the primary reason for the poor health
outcome in relation to Diabetes among the aboriginal and Torres Islander community
members can be explained as poor education and awareness in relation to Diabetes as well as
poor access to healthcare services (Dabelea et al., 2014). Therefore, the target population that
would be considered for drafting the policy would comprise of the Indigenous Aboriginal and
Torres Islander community members. The rationale for the same can be explained as the poor
health outcome and the disease burden that affects this segment of the Australian population.
Aims/ Objectives for the policy of advocacy:
Research studies suggest that a combination of the social, cultural as well as the
historical factors have served as the contributing factors that have resulted in the increased
prevalence of Diabetes type II among the Aboriginal and Torres Islander community
(Chamberlain et al., 2015). In addition to this, the evidence base also suggests that on account
of lack of education about the disorder and the symptoms management strategies, the
morbidity and mortality rate is on the rise. Further, as stated by Harding et al. (2014), due to
the lack of the provision of culturally safe healthcare services, the indigenous community
members are unable to access appropriate healthcare services and as a result the scenario turn
out to be extremely miserable. It is further estimated that if strong policies in relation to
Diabetes management are not put into practice, the scenario would remain the same for the
unprivileged social group of the aboriginal community (Schabert et al., 2013). In this regard

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it should be noted that the proposed policy can help in improving the advocacy for the
underprivileged group and also help in improving the associated health outcome.
The proposed policy would aim to educate care professionals working in the remote
and rural areas of Australia to educate and impart awareness in relation to Diabetes
management to the members of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander community members. The
policy aims to equip healthcare professionals with appropriate professional skills and
expertise so as to exhibit cultural competency while dealing with aboriginal patients. Also,
the aim of the policy is to develop an efficient educational program for the care professionals
so that they can conduct community awareness workshops and make use of chronic illness
management programs to educate and support aboriginal patients with self-reporting and self-
management strategies to deal with the disorder.
The objectives for the policy in related to welfare and wellness of the Aboriginal and
Torres Islander community members would comprise of the following:
 To impart education and disseminate awareness in relation to Diabetes so as to
increase the chances of self-reporting
 To impart education and disseminate awareness in relation to Diabetes in order to
improve access to healthcare services
 To conduct training on effective communication for care professionals so as to ensure
a clear flow of communication between the patients and the care professionals
 To conduct training on cultural safety in order to ensure that care professionals are
able to render culturally appropriate services and able to exhibit cultural competence
while dealing with the patients
 To impart education in relation to the use of Glucometer strips in order to encourage
self-monitoring of blood glucose level

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 To impart education in relation to risk factors and genetic inheritance of the Diabetes
so as to counsel couples planning a pregnancy
 To impart education in relation to medication management so as to ensure better
compliance with medication routine
 To impart education in relation to specific nutrition plan which is most appropriate for
Diabetes patients
 To disseminate awareness in relation to lifestyle and risk factors that trigger Diabetes
and associated comorbidities
Recommendations:
Therefore, on the basis of the seriousness of the situation considering the statistical
evidence that suggests high morbidity and mortality rate in relation to Diabetes among the
aboriginal patients, it can be stated that adapting the following set of recommendation could
help in improving the overall outcome.
 On the basis of the findings of the research studies, it has been mentioned that short0-
term health and wellness programs can help in disseminating awareness in relation to
Diabetes Type II among the aboriginal community members (Tanamas, 2013;
Speight, 2013). In addition to this, it should further be noted that the use of structured
management strategies within the primary healthcare organizations can help in
improving the quality of Diabetes care that is currently being offered to the
Aboriginal and the Torres Islander community members
 Further, the Government must adapt measures in order to ensure culturally
appropriate care services for the treatment and management of Diabetes among the
Aboriginal and the Torres Islander community members. In addition to this, research
studies also suggest that healthcare organizations that integrate continuous measures

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to improve the quality of care services can help in fostering quality in terms of
healthcare delivery and also improve access (Huo et al., 2016; Tananmas, 2013)
 In addition to this, the Australian government must encourage the commencement of
mandatory community programs that impart education in relation to Diabetes and the
risk factors that trigger the incidence of the disease. Further, the community programs
must make us of appropriate support services such as chronic illness management
programs through which the Aboriginal community members can be empowered
about self-management strategies which would eventually help in better management
of the disorder (Harding et al., 2014). In addition to this, the government must ensure
availability of self-management devices such as glucometer strips and insulin
medication to the affected community members so as to facilitate better management
of the disorder.
Conclusion:
Therefore, to conclude, it can be mentioned that Diabetes is one of the chronic illness
disorders that in the recent times has emerged as an epidemic in Australia. However, on
evaluating the statistical figures it can be said that the Indigenous Australians which includes
the Aboriginal and the Torres Islander community members are drastically affected by the
impact of the disorder. In this context, it should be noted that the Diabetes Educators
Association of Australia can make use of its services to change the fate of the miserable
situation. The organization is committed to imparting training and education to the care
professionals in order to improve service delivery in relation to Diabetes care. While the aims
and objectives of the organization focuses on the complete population base of Australia, it is
important to pay attention to the most ignored and overlooked proportion of the Australian
population base. The organization can conduct training programs for the care professionals
working within the rural and remote areas of Australia and educate them about the need to

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exhibit cultural competence while caring for the Aboriginal patients. In addition to this,
implementation of the proposed recommended government policies can also help in
improving Diabetes care and management within the aboriginal community.

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References:
ADEA 2019. ADEA | Vision and mission. [online] ADEA. Available at:
https://www.adea.com.au/about-us/our-organisation/vision-and-mission/ [Accessed 17 May
2019].
Browne, J.L., Scibilia, R. and Speight, J., 2013. The needs, concerns, and characteristics of
younger Australian adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 30(5), pp.620-626.
Chamberlain, C., Joshy, G., Li, H., Oats, J., Eades, S. and Banks, E., 2015. The prevalence of
gestational diabetes mellitus among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in
Australia: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Diabetes/metabolism research and
reviews, 31(3), pp.234-247.
Dabelea, D., Mayer-Davis, E.J., Saydah, S., Imperatore, G., Linder, B., Divers, J., Bell, R.,
Badaru, A., Talton, J.W., Crume, T. and Liese, A.D., 2014. Prevalence of type 1 and type 2
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2019].
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Health.gov.au 2019. [online] Health.gov.au. Available at:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/3AF935DA210DA043CA257
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