Introduction: The prevalence of gestational diabetes (GDM) in Argentina, which implies a higher risk of developing both maternal and newborn complications, reaches 9.8%. Maternal obesity is a very important risk factor for its development, also affecting perinatal outcomes and maternal well-being.
Objective: To verify the impact of a therapeutic education program for pregnant women with GDM on well-being and nutritional habits, in the city of Corrientes (Argentina).
Methods: The food intake (NutriQuid-GEST) and well-being (WHO-5) records of pregnant women with GDM who participated in the EDUGEST study in the city of Corrientes (Argentina) were used. The intervention consisted of educational workshops of 3 sessions of 2 hours each, with educational material specially developed for the project, reinforced with individual interviews with the nutritionist. The NutriQuid-GEST -validated for the pregnant population- and WHO-5 questionnaires were completed before and after the educational intervention. A pre-post intervention analysis was carried out, where food intake and well-being indicators were verified. A WHO-5 score of ≤50 indicates poor well-being and a score of 28 or below is indicative of depression. The results are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Student's or Wilcoxon's t tests were used for comparisons, as appropriate, considering significant differences of p<0.05.
Results: We analyzed the nutritional and well-being records of 256 women with GDM, aged 30.6±6.6 years at the beginning of pregnancy and BMI 30.4±6.4. The educational intervention significantly decreases the prevalence of poor well-being (pre vs post: 21.5% vs 14.5%) and depression (3.9% vs 1.9%).
Conclusions: The educational intervention significantly improved the well-being and eating behavior of pregnant women with GD, adopting healthy eating habits that are the basis for achieving optimal nutritional status in women at the beginning and throughout pregnancy.
WDF Project 15-1314