Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who give birth are three times more likely to have pre-existing diabetes, almost two times more likely to develop gestational diabetes, and more likely to experience complications in their pregnancy than non-Indigenous women.
To address this, Diabetes Victoria and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) developed the Feltmum add-on in 2015, to enhance the existing Feltman diabetes resource. Stakeholder consultations identified limited culturally appropriate consumer resources about diabetes in pregnancy for Aboriginal women with pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Victoria subsequently established an expert working group with representatives from the Koori Maternity Services, VACCHO and Mercy Health to develop a specific resource to help Aboriginal women stay healthy during their pregnancy and have a healthy baby. The collaborative approach has been a key contributor to the acceptability of this resource to the Victorian Aboriginal community.
The Diabetes in pregnancy pictorial guide was developed using evidence-based health literacy principles that other Diabetes Victoria pictorial guides have been based on. The content of the pictorial guide is positive, action based, realistic and instructive, and is written from a consumer perspective. The guide has clear messages for women with pre-existing diabetes and those with gestational diabetes. It has minimal text, and contains a range of images of Victorian Aboriginal woman to illustrate desired behaviours to promote diabetes self-efficacy.
The new resource supports Aboriginal woman with diabetes encouraging pre-pregnancy planning. It provides guidelines for women during their pregnancy, and includes information about staying healthy after the birth of their baby. This resource has been designed to provide general health information, encouraging Aboriginal women with diabetes to seek support from health care professionals.
The Diabetes in pregnancy pictorial guide has already proven popular, with 110 copies purchased within the first two months of publication