Aboriginal perspectives of diabetes in a remote community in the Northern Territory

This study explores the knowledge and beliefs of diabetes in a group of Abo riginal people from a remote community in the Northern Territory Informatio n was gathered from participants through a combination of group discussions , semi-structured interviews and informal conversations. The four themes of explanation of diabetes were: worry, food, family and infections. The most common means of preventing or treating diabetes were stopping worry and ch anging one's diet. Significantly, few of the participants believed that med ication was effective, and weight loss and exercise were not mentioned. The results highlight the miscommunication about diabetes that has occurred in this population. For effective communication and management of diabetes , health information must incorporate the contemporary health beliefs of th e clients.