Preventing Gestational Diabetes and Large Babies with Lifestyle Counseling
Author Information
Author(s): Riitta Luoto, Tarja I. Kinnunen, Minna Aittasalo, Päivi Kolu, Jani Raitanen, Katriina Ojala, Kirsi Mansikkamäki, Satu Lamberg, Tommi Vasankari, Tanja Komulainen, Sirkku Tulokas
Primary Institution: UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research, Tampere, Finland
Hypothesis
Can lifestyle counseling prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) newborns?
Conclusion
The study found that lifestyle counseling effectively reduced the birthweight of newborns but did not significantly affect the incidence of GDM.
Supporting Evidence
- Counseling led to a significant reduction in neonatal birthweight.
- Women in the intervention group had a lower proportion of large-for-gestational-age newborns.
- Adherence to dietary and physical activity recommendations was associated with better outcomes.
Takeaway
Helping pregnant women eat better and exercise more can make their babies smaller, but it might not stop them from getting diabetes during pregnancy.
Methodology
A cluster-randomized trial involving lifestyle counseling on diet and physical activity for pregnant women at risk of GDM.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to lack of blinding for participants and nurses in the usual care group.
Limitations
The study lacked sufficient power to detect a significant difference in GDM incidence due to a smaller than expected sample size and high exclusion rates.
Participant Demographics
Women aged 30 years on average, with a BMI of 26 kg/m2, and 47% were primiparous.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.008 for birthweight difference, p=0.042 for LGA proportion difference
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.71–2.62 for GDM, 95% CI −231 to −35 for birthweight
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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