Intensive Lifestyle Counselling Intervention: Preventing Maternal Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

This study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive lifestyle counselling (ILC) designed to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among high risk mothers. A quasi-experimental trial was conducted in four selected health clinics (two clinics for intervention and two clinics for control) in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Of the 320 subjects recruited, 148 respondents in the intervention group and 150 respondents in the control group had completed the study (response rate 93.1%). The intervention group was given a routine antenatal care (RC) and a package of structured ILC sessions on diet, physical activity (PA) and information on appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) in five routine antenatal care visits until 39 weeks' gestation. The controls received only the RC. Both groups are comparable for sociodemographic characteristics (p < 0.05). GDM incidence is higher in control group (16.7%) compared to intervention group (6.1%), p = 0.046. After controlling the covariates, the intervention group consistently showed protective for developing GDM, (aOR: 0.25, CI: 0.18-0.23, p = 0.003). The intervention group had significantly increased in PA (moderate intensity) mean score (660.3 ± 289.4 Met/min) compared to control group (571.36 ± 230.38 Met/min), F(1, 296) = 10.418, p < 0.001 and comply to dietary recommendation (50.7% in intervention versus 16.7% in control), p < 0.001. Total GWG significantly lesser in intervention (11.4 ± 2.5 Kg) than the control group (12.7 ± 2.9 Kg), p < 001. An ILC can reduce GDM incidence, by increasing PA, increase compliance to the dietary intake recommendation and lesser total GWG among high risk mothers.