The DRUID Study: Diabetes and related disorders in urban Indigenous people in the Darwin region. [ 2003 - 2004 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Joan Cunningham (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Terry Dunbar ,  Dr Tarun Weeramanthri ,  Ms Pat Anderson ,  Prof Kerin O'Dea
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Brief description Indigenous Australians suffer a high burden of ill health from diabetes and related conditions, but very little is known about the burden of diabetes and its complications among Indigenous people in urban areas, and how to reduce it. Unlike Indigenous people in rural and remote areas, Indigenous people in urban areas (the majority of Indigenous Australians) have rarely been the subjects of health research and have even more rarely been the drivers of such research. The DRUID Study (Diabetes and Related Disorders in Urban Indigenous People in the Darwin Region) is a partnership between researchers and members of the Darwin Indigenous community to: examine the health of adults aged 15 years and over; refer people with disease to appropriate health care and related services; follow people over time to collect information on the state of their health and their use of health services; and test the effectiveness of a program to improve dietary quality, increase physical activity and reduce tobacco smoking among those at highest risk for diabetes. The results will be of significant value to policy-makers, health practitioners, researchers, and, most importantly, Indigenous people and organisations. The study will provide the first-ever data on the burden of diabetes and related conditions in an urban Indigenous population. This information can be directly compared with recently collected national data from the AusDiab study, and used to inform the development and implementation of strategies for reducing the impact of diabetes and related conditions. The study will provide an important vehicle for the training and development of Indigenous researchers, and the central involvement of Indigenous people in the study will promote improved local awareness and understanding of diabetes among Indigenous people and increase the capacity of Indigenous people and service providers to manage diabetes and related disorders.

Funding Amount $AUD 1,116,052.50

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Clinical Trial/Large Scale