Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience high rates of gestational diabetes (GDM) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in pregnancy with persistent inequities in outcomes. There are numerous social, economic, environmental and historical barriers to self-management and care-engagement. In qualitative research, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women expressed that they received inadequate education from health services and that information provided was difficult to understand. Participants highlighted the potential benefits of presenting information with pictures or videos, and in their first languages.

Aim: To develop culturally and linguistically appropriate diabetes in pregnancy educational resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in northern Australia.

Methods: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group provided project oversight. An initial scoping audit of relevant resources was conducted. The communication strategy and intended health messages were developed in partnership with the Advisory Group and more than 20 health professionals, and were informed by focus groups of the target audience. Health professional disciplines represented included diabetes educators, midwives, dietitians, endocrinologists, obstetricians, primary care, health promotion officers, Aboriginal Health Practitioners and Aboriginal Strong Women Workers. An Aboriginal-owned and led company was employed to produce the resources. Community consultation to adapt the messages was undertaken alongside production activities in the Torres Strait, Cairns, Darwin, Alice Springs and three remote communities in the Northern Territory.

Results: The audit found 78 Australian diabetes in pregnancy educational resources, of which 90% were in written format with average year 11 readability level. No resources were in Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages. Our extensive formative consultations led to a shift from planned animations to filmed videos incorporating interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with lived experience (13 filmed interviews conducted). The importance of resources being region-specific to ensure cultural-appropriateness was emphasised. Eight key messages were developed, including: GDM, T2D, blood glucose monitoring, metformin, insulin, preparing for birth, GDM post-partum, and T2D post-partum. These eight topics have been covered in short videos that will be freely available online. The first release includes two full video sets in English, separately for Aboriginal women and Torres Strait Islander women. The messages have also been recorded in Torres Strait Creole, Central Arrernte and Warlpiri, with post-production editing ongoing.

Conclusion: Through meaningful partnerships we have developed comprehensive videos about diabetes in pregnancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Ongoing work will ensure greater reach through production and distribution of multiple language versions.