Assessment of diabetes knowledge, screening and uptake of community diabetes programs in a peri-urban region in Australia

Aims: The Wollondilly Diabetes Program (WDP) is testing ways to improve uptake of diabetes prevention services. This project evaluated the reach of WDP in diabetes promotion while assessing diabetes knowledge and risk among residents. Methods: A WDP member travelled in the DW weekly to community events including outreach programs between October 2016 and June 2019. Data from diabetes knowledge questionnaire (DKQ), the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUSDRISK), HbA1c and Random Blood Glucose (RBG) measurements obtained from participants who attended community events and road shows. Results: Over the 32 months period, WDP attended 32 community events reaching 1415 people (~3% of the Wollondilly adult population). DKQ was completed by 154 people (52.9% females, 78% Australian born, median age 69 years), 39% had diabetes and their mean score (25.0 ± 3.1, maximum possible score = 31) was similar to those without diabetes (24.0 ± 4.6, p = 0.093). AUSDRISK assessment was completed by 166 people with 85% at intermediate or high risk of diabetes. There were 65% results above range for RBG (≥5.5 mmol/l) and/or HbA1c (≥5.7%,39 mmol/mol). Conclusion: A community outreach team set up in partnership with local stakeholders that offers opportunistic diabetes screening, is an effective way of engaging with the community to increase diabetes awareness and knowledge