A qualitative study about the experiences of ethnic minority pregnant women with gestational diabetes: Ethnic minorities and gestational diabetes

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus demands rapid
health behaviour changes for the pregnant woman to
obtain stable blood glucose levels. In Denmark, the general
incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus is about
3%, but more than 4.5% among non-Western immigrants
and descendants. Women belonging to ethnic
minorities may be particularly challenged by health
behaviour changes due to educational, language and cultural
barriers.
Aim: To explore how non-Western ethnic minority
pregnant women in Denmark experience the hospitalbased
information about gestational diabetes mellitus
and how they integrate this information into their
everyday life. A secondary aim was to investigate how
health literacy and distributed health literacy affect this
process.
Methods: Semistructured, qualitative interviews with 11
women. Thematic analysis was conducted with a special
focus on health literacy as analytical approach.
Results: Three themes were identified: Reaction to the
diagnosis, Everyday life and Information needs. All
women felt sad and worried by the diagnosis. Some
struggled to implement the recommended behaviour
changes, and many lacked supports from their spouse.
The hospital-based information was positively evaluated,
but in some cases, the information was misunderstood.
Social networks, language skills, and the ability to seek
and assess information were important factors influencing
the degree to which the women experienced gestational
diabetes mellitus to be a challenge.
Conclusion: Women were generally satisfied with the hospital-
based information. Women with low health literacy/
poor Danish language skills seem to be most
challenged by the diagnosis. Future research should
examine ways to organise patient-centred health care
while simultaneously supporting women’s opportunity to
increase health literacy through, for example social network
and the Internet.
Keywords: diabetes, gestational, pregnancy, ethnic
minority, health literacy, qualitative research.