He said that those with poor diets and a sedentary lifestyle were most at risk. Neville Howard, the president of Diabetes Australia pointed out that more than 80% of the people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are found to be overweight or obese. People living in poorer areas, those from indigenous communities, or immigrants from Asia and the Pacific were most at risk. He said that in Sydney, about 10 % of people in the western suburbs and south, through Campbelltown, past Wollongong to Shellharbour are highly diabetic. Dr Howard said Fairfield was the epicentre of diabetes in Sydney.
The highest rates were in Aboriginal communities around Brewarrina, Narrabri, Tamworth and Dubbo, where the incidence of diabetes can be as high as 31 %. The increase was due to the difficulty in diagnosing, treating and preventing diabetes among the rural and regional areas. A visiting US endocrinologist, Francine Kaufman, warned that many people mistakenly saw diabetes as a low-level illness. Instead, it could lead to significant, long-term complications such as blindness, the need for amputation, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and other serious problems.
