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
  1. Aboriginal women with gestational diabetes at increased risk of developing type 2 form, new research shows

    Aboriginal women with gestational diabetes at increased risk of developing type 2 form, new research shows

    Date

    New research, led by Darwin's Menzies School of Health Research, shows that Aboriginal women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy, will have a one-in-four chance of developing type 2 diabetes within two and a half years after giving birth.

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

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

    Date

    A new study has found that Aboriginal women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes within a short timeframe after pregnancy than non-Indigenous women.

  3. The Australian | Spotlight on Indigenous diabetes crisis

    The Australian | Spotlight on Indigenous diabetes crisis

    Date

    A new study has found Indigenous children in Northern Australia suffer youth-onset type two diabetes at rates at least 10 times higher than previously thought, and possibly above those anywhere else in the world.

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

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

    Date

    The study uncovered what is arguably the highest reported prevalence in any population of youth internationally within the past 25 years and ten times higher than previously reported in Australia.

  5. Diabetes Across the Lifecourse: Northern Australia Partnership newsletter - September 2020

    Date

  6. Diabetes across the Lifecourse: Northern Australia Partnership newsletter for Far North Queensland - September 2020

    Date

  7. $5.6m on health research

    $5.6m on health research

    Date

    Health Minister Greg Hunt Says Federal Government will invest $5.6 million in the NT for medical research.

  8. NT News | Funds for critical health issue studies

    NT News | Funds for critical health issue studies

    Date

    Report on Menzies NHMRC and MRFF Investigator grants.

  9. Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory

    Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory

    Date

    Five researchers based at Menzies have received recognition in the form of Investigator Grants from the NHMRC and the MRFF.

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

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

    Date

    The community's battle is an example of what Menzies diabetes researcher Louise Maple-Brown says is a growing problem in the Northern Territory.

  11. Mix 104.9 | Diabetes Symposium in Darwin

    Mix 104.9 | Diabetes Symposium in Darwin

    Date

    This is the seventh annual gathering of diabetes researchers, health workers and stakeholders to discuss a ‘lifecourse approach’ to preventing and managing diabetes.

  12. NT News | Diabetes given centre stage

    NT News | Diabetes given centre stage

    Date

    Menzies School of Health Research will host diabetes experts and health professional from across Northern Australia.

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

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

    Date

    Menzies - Diabetes across the Lifecourse: Northern Australia Partnership – Annual Educational Symposium on Friday, 27 September.

  14. Sport a boost to Menzies Indigenous health research

    Sport a boost to Menzies Indigenous health research

    Date

    Charles Darwin University E-news | Issue 2 Monday, 01 April 2019

  15. Metformin appears safe in treating hyperglycemia during pregnancy

    Metformin appears safe in treating hyperglycemia during pregnancy

    Date

    Among indigenous and nonindigenous women in Australia, the use of metformin in treating hyperglycemic conditions during pregnancy, does not lead to serious adverse events.

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

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

    Date

    Ten years after the “Closing the Gap” targets were laid out, a health disaster is emerging.

  17. NACCHO Aboriginal Health | #Obesity #Diabetes News

    Date

    Type 2 Diabetes is a particular concern as there is a global trend of increasing numbers of young people being diagnosed, there is limited data available in Australia but anecdotally numbers are rising rapidly amongst young Indigenous Australians.

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

    Intervention needed to reduce Type 2 Diabetes in young Indigenous Australians

    Date

    Researchers are calling for immediate action to reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes in Indigenous children and young people.

  19. Diabetes project | Cairns Post

    Date

    A PROJECT aimed at improving health outcomes, systems of care and services for women with diabetes in pregnancy, has made its way to the Far North.

  20. Diabetes researcher wins 2017 Harry Christian Giese—Research into Action Award

    Date

    Harry Giese AM MBE (1913–2000) was a Territory community leader and administrator who played a key role in the establishment of the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) as the first faculty of the new Northern Territory University. During its...

  21. Empowering positive parenting feeding practices

    Empowering positive parenting feeding practices

    Date

    An early career researcher is looking into ways in which her work in nutrition research can support Indigenous parents and families to make healthy food choices for their children. Her team’s ultimate goal is empowering parents to help prevent...

  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.