Message from the Project Head

In South Africa, diabetes has become a serious public health concern. With the highest prevalence of overweight or obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa is experiencing an obesity epidemic which affects close to 4 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes varies depending on age and ethnic group. This ranges from 7% of the population to as high as 25% in some communities. In 2016, Statistics South Africa revealed that diabetes was second only to tuberculosis as natural cause of death.

The majority of people living with diabetes receive treatment in the public sector primary care environment. As the disease progresses, diabetes management becomes complex and complications such as foot ulcers and amputations, renal disease including renal failure, eye disease including blindness and stroke and heart attacks may occur. This complexity demands care that is often not available or suboptimal most often due to resource constraints such as medical personnel and equipment.

In response to those challenges in diabetes management in the primary care sector which affect thousands of South Africans, the Tshwane Insulin Project (TIP) was developed at the University of Pretoria. The project is a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental effort which brings together physicians, nutritionists, sport scientists, nurses and public health experts with a common purpose: finding innovative and evidence-based ways to improve care for people living with diabetes. The project aims at improving early detection and treatment of diabetes at primary care in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Of particular significance, is the focus on addressing the challenges of safely initiating and titrating insulin in diabetes patients at primary care level should they require it.

TIP is an embodiment of the ethos of the University of Pretoria as passionate and dedicated UP staff members implement innovative groundbreaking research which has the potential to positively impact the lives of thousands of South Africans living with diabetes. #BeatDiabetesTheUPWay