Co-Designed School Strategies to Support First Nations Youth with Type 2 Diabetes
A groundbreaking study proposes collaborative, culturally responsive school-based strategies to support First Nations youth living with type 2 diabetes, aiming to reduce stigma and improve management through community-led approaches.
A recent study led by the Menzies School of Health Research has developed seven collaborative recommendations aimed at enhancing how schools support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people living with type 2 diabetes. The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, emphasizes the vital role educational institutions can play in promoting health and well-being among youth affected by this chronic condition.
Involving perspectives and lived experiences from First Nations youth across the Top End, the study advocates for school-wide initiatives to combat diabetes-related stigma, improve nutrition, and offer targeted support for managing the disease. Key proposed measures include integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership into health strategies, fostering a supportive environment that reduces shame around diabetes, and creating personalized support plans for students.
Further recommendations emphasize strengthening links between schools and local healthcare providers, training school staff to confidently support students with diabetes, and establishing secure spaces for students to store medications and monitor blood glucose levels. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in the Northern Territory face some of the highest rates of youth-onset type 2 diabetes globally, highlighting the urgent need for strengths-based, community-led models of care.
The findings underscore the importance of leveraging lived experiences to drive positive change and resilience among young people with diabetes. The study was shared ahead of the Partnership’s 14th Annual Educational Symposium, which gathers health professionals and stakeholders to discuss innovative research and community-led approaches to diabetes management. International expert Professor Brandy Wicklow from the University of Manitoba will present insights on reducing complications in youth diabetes, emphasizing the global importance of culturally responsive healthcare strategies.
For more detailed insights, the full study is available in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
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