Aims:
  • To improve the care and outcomes for women with diabetes in pregnancy and their babies. 
Summary:

Diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) is associated with an increase in short-term and long-term health risks for mothers and their babies. It also provides a unique opportunity to improve the future health outcomes of women and their babies.

In particular, this partnership which includes clinicians, researchers and policy makers will collaborate to inform methods of delivering evidence-based best practice antenatal and post-partum care for mothers with diabetes in pregnancy and their babies. 

Implications for policy and practice:

A better understanding of antenatal and birth outcomes, as well as of challenges concerning antenatal and post-partum care in the setting of diabetes in pregnancy may contribute to informing design of policy, practice and future interventions.

The Northern Territory (NT) Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinical Register and the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinical Register are initiatives of the NT & FNQ DIP Partnership and can be accessed through the project website here.

Chief investigator:
Project manager:
  • Tara Dias - NT
  • Kirby Murtha - FNQ
Contact information:
Project dates:

The NT Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership Project is a longitudinal study, which commenced in 2012. The FNQ Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership Project commenced in April 2016 and is currently operating.

Further information for participants can be found here.

Funders:
  • National Health and Medical Research Council
Collaborators:
  • AMSANT
  • Healthy Living NT
  • Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
  • Northern Territory Department of Health
  • SAHMRI 
  • QLD Government
  • Apunipima
  • Mulungu
  • MAMU
  • Gurriny Yealamucka
  • Wuchopperen
Videos - Diabetes in Pregnancy series
  1. Aboriginal women with gestational diabetes at increased risk of developing type 2 form, new research shows

  2. Media Release | Gestational diabetes an important indicator of developing type 2 diabetes for Aboriginal women

  3. The Australian | Spotlight on Indigenous diabetes crisis

  4. Youth-onset type 2 diabetes in the NT exceed international figures

  7. Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory

  8. In remote communities, where more health workers are needed, chronic disease is rising

  9. Mix 104.9 | Diabetes Symposium in Darwin

  10. NT News | Diabetes given centre stage

  11. Media Alert | Health experts in Darwin to discuss diabetes in pregnancy

  12. Sport a boost to Menzies Indigenous health research

  13. Metformin appears safe in treating hyperglycemia during pregnancy

  14. Medical Republic | Alarming rates of T2 diabetes in our young indigenous

  16. Intervention needed to reduce Type 2 Diabetes in young Indigenous Australians

  19. Empowering positive parenting feeding practices

  1. Maple-Brown, L.J., & Hampton, D. (2020). Indigenous cultures with similar colonisation history share the challenge of intergenerational diabetes. Lancet Global Health (Invited Commentary), 8(5), e619-e620. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)20072-3 
  2. Kirkham, R., Boyle, J., Whitbread, C., Dowden, M., Connors, C., Corpus, S., et al. on behalf of the NT Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership. (2017). Health services changes to address diabetes in pregnancy in a complex setting: perspectives of health professionals. BMC Health Services, 17(1), 524.
  3. Kirkham, R., Whitbread, C., Connors, C., Moore, E., Boyle, J., Richa, R.et al. on behalf of the NT Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership. (2017). Implementation of a Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinical Register in a complex setting: findings from a process evaluation. PLOS ONE, 12(8), e0179487.
  4. Klein, J.*, Boyle, J.*, Kirkham, R., Connors, C., Whitbread, C., Oats, J., et al. on behalf of the NT Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership. (2017)(*These authors contributed equally). Preconception Care for Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Mixed-Methods Study of Provider Knowledge and Practice. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 129, 105-115.
  5. Whitbread, C., Kirkham, R., Cheng, E., Thorbjornsen, E., Maple-Brown, L. (2017). Diabetes in Pregnancy in the Northern Territory. Australian Diabetes Educator, 20, 1, 25-28.
  6. Lee, I., Maple-Brown, L.J. (2016). Global hyperglycaemia in pregnancy and challenges in its management in resource-limited settings, (invited), Diabetes Management Journal, 56, 11-14.
  7. Edwards, L., Connors, C., Whitbread, C., Brown, A., Oats, J., Maple-Brown, L. (2014). Improving health service delivery for women with diabetes in pregnancy in remote Australia: survey of care in the Northern Territory Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol, 54(6), 534-40.
  8. Maple-Brown, L., Thomas, S., Connors, C., Whitbread, C., Chitturi, S. (2014). The Challenge of managing diabetes in pregnancy in the Northern Territory, (invited). Diabetes Management Journal, 47, 32-34.
  9. Maple-Brown, L., Brown, A., Lee, I., Connors, C., Oats, J., McIntyre, H.D., et al. (2013) Pregnancy and Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes in Remote Australia (PANDORA) study. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 13, 221.