The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) has developed many resources to support people with diabetes from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Australia’s CALD communities are disproportionately affected by diabetes. Language and poor health literacy are some of the contributing factors.

Women born overseas have hospitalisation rates for gestational diabetes (GDM) three times that of women born in Australia (AIHW, 2008).  This may be due to barriers in understanding health information and accessing health care.  The four regions with the highest risk of GDM include Polynesia, Southern Asia, Middle East and other Asian countries. Diverse languages, religious beliefs, cultural practices and attitudes toward pregnancy need to be considered in the management of women with GDM.

In 2012, the Understanding Gestational Diabetes DVD was updated with the addition of six languages. The DVD explains to women and their families how to manage GDM and what to do once the baby is born. In the film, women who have had GDM talk positively about their experiences. It is intended that this DVD will give viewers a better understanding of gestational diabetes. The DVD comes with the option of selecting from Bengali, Farsi, Khmer, Punjabi, Urdu and English. A second disc with the older version of the DVD has information in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Turkish and English.

Other NDSS resources available for CALD people include a booklet for women with gestational diabetes, Caring for yourself and your baby, which is available to download in five languages: Vietnamese, Turkish, Chinese (traditional and simplified) and Arabic. Ten of the key Diabetes Information Sheets have also been translated into ten languages for CALD communities with a high prevalence of diabetes. 

To access any of these resources visit the NDSS website www.ndss.com.au or call 1300 136 588.