Discussion
Non-gestational T2DM was the third most commonly managed chronic problem in BEACH in 2013–14, recorded at 4.2% of encounters.7 The increased management rate over time is consistent with the international literature. Focusing on younger adults, we found that although the management rate was approximately one-tenth that of older patients, a definite increase occurred, and the relative rate of increase was about the same for both groups considering the different prevalence in each group. The increase in T2DM coincided with the growth we found in the prevalence of obesity, again consistent with other published findings.
There has been little published research in Australia on trends over time in the prevalence of T2DM among young adults. We showed there has been a relative increase of 40% in the management rate in general practice among patients aged 18–39 years over the past 14 years, which has coincided with a relative increase of 35% in obesity prevalence. These two increases suggest that, as a society, we should focus more attention on dietary and lifestyle change in younger adults.