A diabetes support group for Nywaigi women to enhance their capacity for maintaining physical and mental wellbeing.
OBJECTIVE
Young Indigenous people experience type 2 diabetes nine times more than non-Indigenous people. Almost one third of the diabetes population encounter mild to severe depression. A community support group is evaluated to assess the co-morbidity of depression in women with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
The development of an intervention to include: (1) self-management strategies; (2) a grief and loss component; (3) health ownership and concepts of shared knowledge; and (4) diet and exercise. A depression scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. A final group debriefing was implemented for ethical closure.


RESULTS
A pre and post intervention assessment for diabetes knowledge and self-management was implemented.


CONCLUSIONS
Critical success factors were confidentiality, personal safety, trust, and knowledgeable facilitators.
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
Cynthia
C
Payne
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011793:Queensland; D012657:Self-Help Groups