Professor Liz Davis
Researchers at the Children’s Diabetes Centre at The Kids Research Institute Australia have begun researching type 2 diabetes to tackle the rising incidence of the disease among young people in Australia.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a serious and costly disease with chronic complications including accelerated development of heart, kidney and eye complications, as well as limb amputations.
In the past, the disease was usually only diagnosed in people as they got older but now, younger people, including children, are getting it.
Our researchers have reported the incidence of T2D in children and adolescents in Western Australia and found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents aged under 18 years have a more than 20 times greater risk of being diagnosed with T2D compared to those of non-Indigenous descent.
Centre researcher Dr Aveni Haynes is currently working alongside investigators in northern Australia to try and establish the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, teenagers and young adults (less than 25 years) with T2D living across Northern Australia (WA’s Kimberley region, Northern Territory and Far North Queensland).
“By working out how many young people there are with T2D, this can be used to plan how to prevent more young people getting T2D in the future and how to provide health services to those who already have it; and to reduce their chances of getting other diabetes-related diseases and complications.” - Professor Liz Davis
Professor Liz Davis, Co-Director of the Children’s Diabetes Centre and head of type 2 diabetes research, said the role of food insecurity — the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food — in childhood, was another key research area as it had been shown to play a major role in the development of chronic diseases in kids, including obesity and T2D.
“Previous research has shown that up to one in five Australian children experience food insecurity,” she said.
“In one of our research projects, we are seeking to determine the prevalence of food insecurity in WA’s communities, and how it links to dietary quality, quality of life, degree of over-eating, and obesity.
“The primary outcome of this project will help to inform clinicians across WA of the barriers faced by children and families who struggle with food insecurity and help them devise individualised treatment plans around weight management, both to prevent T2D and manage the disease.”