Reaching priority populations for diabetes prevention in women with a history of gestational diabetes

Women with a history of gestational diabetes are at 10 times increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Individuals born overseas are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes compared with individuals born in Australia. Lifestyle intervention has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 60% in the general population. However, there is currently no follow-up on these women after childbirth in routine care, thus missing an important opportunity to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease cases in significant proportions of these women. Further, women with a history of gestational diabetes are also at risk of developing recurrent GDM, with the risk of adverse outcomes for mothers and their children. Fragmentation of health services coupled with a low priority of self-care in the postpartum period are key barriers to diabetes prevention in this group. Priority populations such as women from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds in developed countries and women in developing countries bear a disproportionate burden of GDM and type 2 diabetes, but are often underserved by mainstream interventions and generally under-researched in this field. Our research program seeks to address these key global and local issues in diabetes prevention through strategic partnerships with state-funded service providers and through targeted research in priority populations. Now recruiting for PhD and Honours students who are interested in generating real-world impact through their research. Candidates with a clinical or clinical research background are preferred. Mixed methods or qualitative research experience are desired, but not required as training will be provided. A subset of these activities is suitable for Honours. This project will focus on: 1) Understanding individual beliefs and modifying factors influencing engagement with diabetes prevention in cultural groups 2) Developing stakeholder maps and referral pathways 3) Developing and piloting implementation plans