The largest Australian longitudinal population-based study examining the natural history of diabetes, pre-diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease
The AusDiab (Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study) baseline study was conducted in 1999–2000, providing national benchmark data on the prevalence (or number of people) of diabetes, obesity, hypertension and kidney disease in Australia. The second phase of AusDiab, completed in December 2005, was a five year follow-up of the people who participated in the baseline survey. A twelve year follow-up was completed in 2012, with the results released in August 2013. The results provide a unique picture of the incidence (or number of new cases) of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease over 12 years, and allows us to improve our understanding of the factors that increase the risk of these conditions
Field survey
AusDiab is a field survey involving both physical testing as well as questionnaires. A team of researchers went to each of the 42 randomly selected testing sites around Australia to individually test each of the 11,247 individuals who participated in the baseline study in 1999–2000. Six and a half thousand of these original participants came back to attend a similar survey five years later in 2004–2005. In addition, self-reported health information was obtained from more than 2000 of those who could not attend the survey site. In 2011 and 2012, a third survey of these participants was conducted, allowing an unprecedented opportunity to map the changing impact that diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease have on the Australian population. The findings of the third survey were released in August 2013.
AusDiab sister studies
AusDiab was designed to be representative of the general Australian population aged over 25 years. Two sister studies to AusDiab, using similar testing methods, have also been conducted to examine the impact of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases among the Australian urban Indigenous population (the DRUID study), and a rural Victorian population (the Crossroads study).
AusDiab funding
The AusDiab study is funded by the Federal Government through a National Health and Medical Research Council grant, as well as support from State governments, academic and industry partners. Numerous peer reviewed publications in international journals have resulted from the study, which continues to grow in stature in the eyes of the scientific community in Australia and abroad.
Accessing AusDiab data
Researchers and potential collaborators wishing to access the AusDiab datasets should complete the AusDiab data access form.
Awards
The AusDiab Study was awarded the 2006 Victorian Department of Human Services Public Health Research Award for Excellence.