Global health project targets diabetes and heart disease risk among Meghalaya youth

Shillong, Dec 14: An international public health project led by Australia’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute has begun work in Meghalaya to address the rising risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease among adolescents and young adults in tribal communities.

Known as the SHILLONG Project, the initiative will recruit more than 1,300 participants aged 15 to 24 from 40 villages across the state. The study will test whether community-led lifestyle interventions can reduce long-term cardiometabolic risks in populations undergoing rapid dietary and lifestyle change.

India has an estimated 101 million people living with type 2 diabetes and around 136 million prediabetic adults, with more than half remaining undiagnosed. Cardiovascular risk factors are also widespread, with over 315 million adults affected by high blood pressure, according to health estimates.

Health officials and researchers have flagged increasing vulnerability among tribal communities in Meghalaya, citing reduced physical activity, increased consumption of processed foods, tobacco use and harmful alcohol intake. These changes are contributing to the earlier onset of diabetes and heart disease.

Under the project, an 18-month peer-led intervention will be implemented, focusing on physical activity, dietary practices and health awareness. The programme has been co-designed with local communities to align with indigenous cultural practices and existing social structures.

As part of preparatory work, researchers from the Baker Institute recently conducted field visits to remote villages and held a stakeholder workshop in Shillong attended by community representatives and local institutions.

The project builds on the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program, a previously evaluated peer-led intervention adapted from models developed in Finland, the United States and Australia.

The SHILLONG Project is being implemented in partnership with Christian Medical College, Vellore, and Dr H. Gordon Roberts Hospital, Shillong. It is funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases.

Professor Felix Jebasingh of CMC Vellore, a chief co-investigator, said the study would examine how community co-design models used with Indigenous populations elsewhere could be adapted for tribal settings in India.

The Meghalaya Health Department has extended institutional support to the initiative and said findings may inform future state health programmes, with potential application in other tribal regions.

Also Read: Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty makes history as first woman to head Press Club of India

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