Comparison of Lifestyles of Women With Gestational Diabetes and Healthy Pregnant Women

Background: Gestational diabetes is the most common medical condition in pregnancy and can be a predisposing factor in incidence of type II diabetes in future. Incorrect lifestyles can predispose people to various diseases, including diabetes, which is a serious health risk. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare lifestyles of women with gestational diabetes and healthy pregnant women attending the health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) in 2013.

Methods: A comparative-descriptive study was conducted on 100 pregnant women with definite diagnosis of gestational diabetes and 100 healthy pregnant women attending the health centers affiliated to SBMU. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire about lifestyle during pregnancy. Informed consents were obtained, and sampling was performed using convenient multi-stage random sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS-18 software.

Results: Demographic and obstetrics variables were not significantly different in the two groups. However, two groups were significantly different regarding their lifestyles as the mean scores of pregnancy diet were 65.05 in the diabetic group and 74.12 in the healthy group (P<0.001), and the mean moderate physical activity scores in the two groups were 4.62 and 5.69, respectively (P=0.042), the mean pregnancy self-care scores were 71.9 and 81.87, respectively (P<0.001), the mean perceived social support in the two groups were 65.75 and 73.88, respectively (P<0.001), and the mean scores of perceived stress were 51.57 and 60.27, respectively (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Women’s lifestyles were different in some areas. This study further reveals the importance of women’s diet, self-care, moderate physical activity, and perceived social support during pregnancy. Incidence of gestational diabetes can be prevented through increased awareness and education of pregnant women about having appropriate lifestyles during pregnancy and any intervention that would lead to improved lifestyle.