Dietitians australia Calls for Proactive Nutrition Support to Combat Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic
Australia’s peak body for dietitians is urging a important shift in how the nation addresses type 2 diabetes, advocating for more proactive, preventative, and early intervention strategies. Dietitians Australia is pushing for increased Medicare-subsidised access to practising dietitians, believing this will empower individuals at risk to alter their health trajectories and prevent the onset or delay the progression of the disease.
Dr. Fiona Willer,President of Dietitians Australia,highlighted the stark reality that up to 58 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases in Australia could be prevented or postponed through behavioural changes. “Yet, for many Australians, timely access to personalised nutrition support provided by a dietitian remains out of reach,” Dr. Willer stated. She critiqued the current Medicare model, which offers limited support only after a chronic condition like type 2 diabetes has been diagnosed, deeming it insufficient for effective prevention and early management of diet-related diseases.
Given the direct link between diet and type 2 diabetes, Dietitians Australia emphasizes that improving dietary quality, specifically increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, is paramount in disease prevention. Dr. Willer stressed the critical role of accredited dietitians in providing evidence-based information, advice, and therapeutic interventions.
The organisation is actively lobbying the Federal Government to expand Medicare-subsidised access for individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Their proposal includes a minimum of 12 Medicare sessions and investment in a national, coordinated nutrition strategy aimed at fostering health-supporting food environments.
“When it comes to making sense of diet and nutrition information and turning that knowledge into lasting behavioural changes,accredited practising dietitians are the people with years of clinical training that can be harnessed to support Australians,” Dr. Willer explained. She concluded by asserting that dietitians must be integrated into the frontline of prevention, early intervention, treatment, and long-term management of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
For further information, visit dietitiansaustralia.org.au.
