ADMISSION TO HOSPITAL FOR DIABETES IN ABORIGINES AND OTHER AUSTRALIANS, RURAL NEW SOUTH WALES, 1977‐78

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An analysis of hospital admissions for diabetes mellitus in various rural areas in New South Wales, with particular regard to racial origin, was undertaken for 1977 and 1978.There were no admissions for diabetes amongst Aboriginals in the age group 5–14. In non‐Aboriginals the admission rate for this age group was 0.4 per 1,000 population. The difference did not reach statistical significance; nevertheless, the trend indicates a lower prevalence of juvenile‐onset diabetes amongst Aboriginals compared with Caucasian Australians.Admission rates for diabetes were 7 to 15 times higher amongst adult Aboriginals compared to other adult rural residents, and the differences between the age‐specific admission rates in Aboriginals compared to non‐Aboriginals were statistically significant. Admissions for diabetes as a proportion of total admissions was also higher for Aboriginals.This higher admission rate for diabetes amongst adult Aboriginals compared to other rural residents is likely to reflect a higher prevalence of diabetes amongst Aboriginals. Previous studies indicate that this is probably due to a genetic predisposition combined with adverse environmental factors.A return to a modified hunter‐gatherer way of life, or the establishment of social, cultural, and economic compensatory mechanisms in urban areas, appear to be the main alternatives to a purely medical/therapeutic approach to the problem of diabetes in Aboriginals.