Professor Lisa Whitehead will give a free lecture on pre-diabetes.
Camera IconProfessor Lisa Whitehead will give a free lecture on pre-diabetes. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

ECU to host free lecture on how nurses can prevent progression of pre-diabetes

Tyler BrownJoondalup Times

NURSES have a key role to play in preventing the two million Australians living with pre-diabetes progressing to the more serious type 2 diabetes, according to Lisa Whitehead.

The associate dean of research at ECU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery will give a free public lecture titled ‘Putting the ‘well’ into wellbeing’ at the Joondalup campus at 4pm on Friday, October 19.

Professor Whitehead said pre-diabetes was a condition where blood glucose levels were higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

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She said nurses were well suited to halt the progression of the disease by encouraging behaviour change.

“The research tells us that to drive behaviour changes you need to develop a long-term relationship that is based on trust,” she said.

“Nurses are uniquely placed to work with patients on a long-term basis to develop this type of relationship.”

Professor Whitehead said the best way to halt and even reverse the progress of pre-diabetes was to lose weight, especially around the waist.

“Carrying excess weight, particularly around the waist, is the main risk factor for pre-diabetes,” she said.

“By helping people to modify their diet and get more exercise, it is possible to actually transition from being pre-diabetic to having normal blood glucose levels.”

To register for the lecture, visit www.ecu.edu.au/news/events/ecu-lecture-series.