Ensure a healthier Victoria, now and for future generations

Here, we unpack the first of these priorities.

1. Ensure a healthier Victoria, now and for future generations
   • 1 .1 Deliver a new healthy pregnancies program as part of women’s regular maternity care, creating direct savings in health care costs  
   • 1.2  Expand the Life! program and public campaigns to meet the needs of Victoria’s growing population 

Invest in prevention

“We are focused on urgent opportunities to help Victorians reduce their risk of developing type 2 and gestational diabetes,” says Jenna Van Der Velden, Head of Prevention at Diabetes Victoria. 

“There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes, although research in this area is advancing rapidly.” 

“The annual healthcare cost for someone living with type 2 diabetes is more than double the cost for someone without diabetes. Around 80 percent of this difference is because of hospital admissions and emergency care.” 

This highlights the impact of diabetes on the state’s health system. 

Ms Van Der Velden says delivering a new healthy pregnancies program as part of women’s regular maternity care is vital. 

“Monash University has developed a gestational diabetes maternity care model which has proven to be effective and save money in the health system,” she explains. 

“We want this to be integrated into women’s regular maternity care, because gestational diabetes is now affecting almost 1 in 5 pregnancies. 

“Half of these women will go on to develop type 2 diabetes within a decade.” 

Diabetes Victoria is calling on the next Victorian Government to invest $28.2 million over four years to deliver a new healthy pregnancies program for around 50,000 women.

This will be part of the Life! health coaching service, integrated into women’s regular maternity care. 

Reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes 

The Life! program has helped over 100,000 Victorians to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes since it was launched in 2007. 

Funding for the program has remained the same since 2012, despite the state’s population growing by more than 30%. 

More can be done to reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes by expanding access to the Life! program, alongside culturally appropriate public health campaigns. 

“We can build on the current successful Life! programs for Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese communities by making resources more widely available in language,” Ms Van Der Velden explains. 

“We want to expand these approaches into more language groups and extend program delivery to better reach multicultural communities and regional Victoria.” 

Diabetes Victoria is calling for the next State Government to invest $13 million over four years to expand the Life! program.

You can read more about the Diabetes Victoria state election priorities in the Diabetes Doesn't Rest policy document.