Prevention of type 2 diabetes and the implementation of large-scale prevention programs

Background

• Diabetes is a crucial health issue for Australia. More than 10% of Australians have diabetes or are at high risk.
• The burden of diabetes is compounded because many complications of diabetes can be debilitating or life threatening, such as cardiovascular disease, end-stage kidney disease, loss of vision, amputations and mental health issues.
• This review collates the evidence on diabetes prevention, highlights the key modifiable risk factors to target, and analyses what system-level changes are needed to successfully implement a population-wide diabetes prevention program.

Key findings

• There is substantial evidence that type 2 diabetes can be prevented and delayed, particularly in certain high-risk groups, and this has been successfully demonstrated in prevention programs in a range of settings.
• There is also evidence of type 2 diabetes prevention interventions being successfully scaled up and implemented population-wide.
• The system-level factors needed to successfully scale up an intervention are known and should be considered when planning large-scale diabetes prevention programs.
• However, while it is clear that large-scale prevention interventions can be effective, further research is needed to determine which characteristics are needed to maximise the efficacy of an intervention.