Diabetes prevention in culturally and linguistically diverse communities

The Malinauskas Government is investing $1.7 million into Preventive Health programs that seek to improve health access and outcomes for Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
 
This funding is being allocated over three years to organisations including Diabetes SA, which is delivering a community-led program that will improve access to screening for Type 2 diabetes and develop culturally appropriate health information about this chronic condition for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
 
While South Australia already has the highest percentage of people living with diabetes (6.4%), between 8 and 17% of people in Australia who originate from the Pacific Islands, Middle East, South Asia and Africa live with Type 2 diabetes, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
 
In response to this disparity, Diabetes SA is leaning on the lived experience of migrants living with this chronic condition to deliver its Malinauskas Government-funded initiative, including Ravi Subramanian, who came to Australia from Chennai in South India and has lived with Type 2 diabetes for 27 years.
 
Hailing from a family of foodies and a country with world-renowned cuisine, Ravi admits food became an “obsession”, with “indulgence” dishes high in kilojoules, saturated fat, added sugars, refined starch and added salt or alcohol among his favourites.
 
This unhealthy habit cost Ravi his dream of becoming a pilot, forced to abort his training as a young man when mandatory health checks revealed high blood pressure – an early sign of the direction his health was heading. After a career pivot that saw him become a cook, he was later diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
 
He ignored doctors’ advice that he change his diet and embrace a more physical lifestyle and eventually, after emigrating to Australia, Ravi’s health deteriorated further, with his breathing, mobility and mental health negatively impacted as his blood sugar levels spiralled.
 
Ravi has since chosen to share his experience as an Indian-Australian man living with diabetes, working with Diabetes SA to provide insights into how health information could be more effectively conveyed to Australia’s diverse Indian diaspora and how targeted screening and early intervention could be more effectively delivered to these communities.

With the Malinauskas Government’s backing, this partnership is helping inform the delivery of screening events at community centres and other sites frequented by culturally and linguistically diverse community members.
 
Pilot screening events have already occurred this year, including at the Regency Park Multicultural Expo in May.
 
Other programs funded under the Government’s $1.7 million investment in Preventive Health programs for culturally and linguistically diverse communities are being delivered by the Multicultural Communities Council of SA, Australian Refugee Association, and Council on the Ageing SA (COTA SA). These programs will also help improve health outcomes for our multicultural communities, by:

• Empowering Community and Linguistically Diverse Men’s Health Champions to share preventive health messages within their communities.
   

• Developing, implementing and evaluating a Preventive Health Plan focused on improving health outcomes for refugee and asylum seeker families.
   

• Supporting older culturally and linguistically diverse South Australians to stay active and socially connected, particularly in regional areas.
   

• Developing, piloting and evaluating new initiatives to improve health literacy.

The Malinauskas Government is committed to addressing barriers to appropriate health care access, improving health literacy and health system navigation, and other priority areas for action that were identified by the Strengthening Prevention in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Roundtable.
 
Hosted by Ministers Picton and Bettison, the Roundtable met last year and brought together more than 30 organisations and peak bodies to explore opportunities for Preventive Health action in their communities.
 
Quotes attributable to Zoe Bettison
 
South Australia is enriched by the diversity of our communities, and it is vital that everyone, irrespective of cultural or linguistic background, has access to information and receives the support they need to live healthier lives.
 
By working closely with community organisations and leaders, this initiative ensures that culturally appropriate services are available and that no one is left behind in the fight against diabetes.
 
Our government is committed to building a fair health system where everyone has the tools and opportunities to look after their wellbeing.
 
Quotes attributable to Chris Picton
 
The Malinauskas Labor Government is proud to be investing in community-led initiatives that will meaningfully address clear disadvantages in terms of health access and outcomes for Australia’s migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and First Peoples.
 
Everyone in South Australia deserves equitable access to appropriate healthcare, resources and information, and our Government is committed to identifying and reducing additional barriers faced by people from different cultural or linguistic backgrounds.
 
One of the major reasons that our state is such a great place to live is because of our diversity.
 
We are at our best when we celebrate, include, and – importantly – care for one another, regardless of our cultural or linguistic differences.
 
Quotes attributable to Diabetes advocate Ravi Subramanian
 
I’m grateful to provide support in the co-design of culturally appropriate health and diabetes information suitable for people of different cultures, including those of Southeast Asian descent, as part of the diabetes education initiative.
 
For some people at risk of or living with Type 2 diabetes, appropriately managing the progressive nature of the condition can involve improving awareness of risk factors, learning how to find time for being physically active and having a greater understanding of the condition to improve quality of life.
 
For example, by receiving information in one’s native language, using culturally appropriate analogies and involving family members, some people at risk of or living with diabetes may find it easier to engage with lifestyle changes and recommendations.
 
The program is expected to provide all attendees with understandable explanations about the risk factors that contribute to Type 2 diabetes and target misconceptions about the condition.
 
Quotes attributable to Preventive Health SA Chief Executive, Marina Bowshall
 
As an agency, we are committed to improving health equity and partnering with communities to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.
 
We are taking active steps to improve health information and service accessibility and responding to community needs.
 
These projects are about meeting the needs of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities, ensuring they feel safe and connected to the health system.
 
By working alongside trusted community organisations, we are embedding cultural understanding and lived experience into the heart of preventive health.
 
Quotes attributable to Diabetes SA CEO, Catherine Hughes
 
Diabetes SA is proud to be working with Preventive Health SA and other key stakeholders to reduce the incidence and burden of Type 2 diabetes for our most vulnerable multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
 
This partnership with Preventive Health SA reflects our shared commitment to health equity and community co-designed solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of all South Australians.