Aborigines who live in urban areas are over twice as likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes as other city dwellers, and are also far less likely to be given preventative and educational assistance in how to manage their condition, according to a new study in Australia .
According to the University of Western Australia study, which may be the first to observe greater diabetes rates amongst urban aboriginals, 4 per cent of aboriginal people in Fremantle have diabetes. The condition is known to be particularly prevalent amongst aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
A professor in charge of the study, Timothy Davis, said: “Consistent with data from remote communities, diabetes prevalence among our urban-dwelling Aboriginal people was more than double that of Anglo-Celts and the average age at diagnosis was 14 years younger.”
The study was published in the Journal Internal Medicine, and raises serious questions about preventative measures amongst the aboriginal population. Davis concluded: “A greater clinical awareness of the special social and disease-related problems faced by indigenous patients could improve glycaemic control and overall cardiovascular management, including smoking cessation.”