Young Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory say youth diabetes "feels normal" as the territory battles some of the highest diabetes rates in the world. Doctors warn that the cost-of-living is having an impact on remote community members' ability to manage their diabetes.
00:00Kicking a footy to boot their blood sugar back to normal.
00:07Diagnosed in high school, diabetes is just a part of life for these Catherine girls.
00:13It's normal for me because when I was growing up, I see my mum, she always like take medicines
00:19because she also have like diabetes.
00:22Edwina too has diabetes in the family.
00:25Well it started from my grandfather, my mum's dad and then it passed down to her, I think three of her siblings.
00:36They're using their lived experience to help a growing number of young people in the NT diagnosed with diabetes.
00:44It worries me because I'm just finding out kids that are like 11 years old are being diagnosed now.
00:52The Northern Territory has some of the worst diabetes rates in the world, with one in three Aboriginal adults in remote communities affected.
01:00On Diabetes Awareness Day, health professionals are raising awareness of risks, like managing diet.
01:06It's really hard in a lot of places to get access to the nutritious food that people need to be able to eat.
01:14Costs are high, particularly in remote communities.
01:17There's also the serious danger of walking barefoot, with diabetes-related foot disease costing the Australian healthcare system an estimated $1.6 billion annually.
01:28We're four times higher than the national average and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a 38 times higher risk of having an amputation as a result of a diabetes foot complication.
01:44These sorts of complications have huge impacts on our health system and, of course, the individuals.
01:51And you can only imagine how hard it would be to live with an amputation in a remote community.
Be the first to comment