MOTHERS WITH DIABETES URGED TO SHARE EXPERIENCE Australian mothers who have developed gestational diabetes are being asked to share their experiences in a new online survey. The Mothers After Gestational Diabetes in Australia MAGDA) project team has developed an anonymous online survey that aims to get a national picture of how GPs and women who have had gestational diabetes view the current situation and potential areas of reform. The MAGDA survey can be accessed through the study’s website (magdastudy.org.au). Although lifestyle modification programs are effective in delaying or preventing diabetes, no intervention programs have been designed specifically for pregnant women. Deakin University’s Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition dietitian Dr Sharleen O’Reilly said results of the survey will inform a pilot intervention, based in Victoria, aimed at optimising diabetes prevention care in a meaningful and sustainable way for women with a history of gestational diabetes. “The greater the response from women who developed gestational diabetes, the stronger their voice will be in the design of the intervention,” Dr O’Reilly said. More than 20,000 Australian women are estimated to have a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes annually and this number is rising, along with population obesity rates. Gestational diabetes increases a woman’s risk of having complications during pregnancy and birth. One in two women who have had gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes and their heart disease rate is also increased. Their babies are also at increased risk of obesity and diabetes which means the cycle of diabetes becomes expanded within families as time goes by. However, clinical trials demonstrate the incidence of type 2 diabetes can be reduced by 58 per cent with lifestyle change and the effect continues 10 years after the trial has stopped. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has funded the MAGDA partnership project to create a system change for the care of women who have had gestational diabetes. Chief Investigator for the study and Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Healths Director, Professor James Dunbar, said it is important to identify whether a system change for diabetes prevention in women with a history of GDM leads to a reduction in the risk of diabetes greater than that seen with usual care. “The results of this study will be vital for developing policy over the next decade. The challenge, of course, will be to put the findings into action, Professor Dunbar said. The GGT UDRH is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and is a partnership between Flinders and Deakin Universities. To arrange an interview or photos please contact Rick Bayne on 0418 140 489
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 09:00:23 +0000
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