Without effective interventions, it is estimated that by the year 2030 around 3.3 million Australians will have developed type 2 diabetes.
The Commonwealth Government will provide $103.4 million over four years as its contribution to a cost-shared initiative with state and territory governments to address growth in type 2 diabetes announced by COAG on 13 April 2007. States and territories will provide a further $101 million for other activities to address type 2 diabetes.
The Commonwealth?s contribution will focus on people aged 40 to 49 years by encouraging them to take a ?tick test? in their general practitioner?s surgery. Patients with a high risk score will be reviewed by their GP, who may refer them to an accredited subsidised lifestyle modification program. These programs might typically comprise a number of sessions of group counselling followed by monthly telephone follow-ups for three months. Programs may adopt alternative mixes of face-to-face and telephone contact in delivering the prescribed standards of patient contact to achieve sustained behavioural change.
National standards and accreditation will be put in place for these programs to help people change their lifestyles to delay or prevent onset of diabetes. National standards will ensure that lifestyle modification programs offered to the public are both safe and effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Accreditation will be required for the subsidised programs included in this package. The risk assessment tick test, program standards and accreditation arrangements will be completed in mid-2008.