A country sports club in North Queensland has scrapped serving soft drinks in a community-led push to prevent type 2 diabetes among Indigenous young people.

The Garbutt Magpies Sporting Association, which hosts AFL, cricket and netball in Townsville, has switched to serving only water alongside healthy food at its Friday night activities for local children.

Elders and researchers have collaborated on an innovative $50,000 culturally-responsive type 2 diabetes prevention program pilot through James Cook University and Townsville University Hospital.

They reported there was high engagement in the six-month study and the children were not missing sugary drinks.

Taking ownership of community health

Club members like local mother Leah Wacando have been measuring the height, weight and blood pressure of more than 50 kids who regularly take part in activities.

"Since June we've noticed some kids have grown, some have lost weight, there's been changes in some of the kids since we've started which has been really good," she said.

"Their fitness levels have improved.

Ms Wacando said her partner's family had a history of type 2 diabetes, and working for the study had also encouraged her to serve healthier food at home.

"Some nights we just won't have the rice and have just the salad. The kids used to whinge but they're used to it now," she said.

Fun Friday nights

The focus has been encouraging physical activity, serving fresh food and educating participants about healthy eating.

But for 10-year-olds Ashleigha Massey and Makayla Poynter, the focus on Friday nights was having fun and playing sport, not research.

Makayla said she did not mind the shift to water, noting her aunt had diabetes.

"We have fresh buns, and steak and lettuce and tomatoes. It's fun."

Garbutt Magpies chairman Randal Ross said the high level of engagement in the study had been promising.

"You can see how the kids have adapted to water, to drinking much more water rather than soft drink," he said.

"Now they look for the water rather than the soft drink."

Pressing need to prevent diabetes from childhood

Professor Usman Malabu is the head of Translational Research in Endocrinology and Diabetes at James Cook University, and is lead investigator on the study.

He said type 2 diabetes was 18 times more likely among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people than Caucasian children and could lead to life-threatening complications such as kidney failure.

Consumption of an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and a lack of public health awareness were key factors leading to the higher rate of type 2 diabetes in regional and remote areas, he said.

Researchers have also said the high level of diabetes reflects a broad range of factors including education, income and access to services.

Professor Usman said studies into diabetes prevention in Indigenous communities were often difficult due to low engagement.

But in the research conducted by the Garbutt Magpies, elders were taking the lead on healthy eating, not outside experts.

And club members, not clinicians, were responsible for regularly collecting data on the children's height, weight and blood pressure, Professor Malabu said.

"It isn't something that others from outside will come and tell them what they need to do," he said.

He said participation had exceeded hopes, suggesting the model of delivering early intervention programs through a local sports club was effective.

Mother Leah Wacando and club chairman Randal Ross said it was important that community elders set an example and modelled healthy eating.

"We're learning ourselves," Ms Wacando said.

"If we are going to make a change in our community we have to make a change in ourselves as well."