Activity Levels Low After Gestational Diabetes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have recently had diabetes develop during pregnancy, a condition known as gestational diabetes, are often insufficiently physically active after giving birth. This is strongly related to levels of social support and self-confidence, according to results of an Australian study published in current issue of Diabetes Care.

Women with gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Dr. Ben J. Smith, of the University of Sydney, and colleagues point out. "Regular physical activity, at moderate intensity or higher, has been found to be associated with reduced risk of diabetes, even after adjustment for body mass index," a measurement of obesity, they add.

The team identified a random sample of 226 women who had attended diabetes clinics in the past 6 to 24 months for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus, and interviewed the women by telephone. The investigators measured a number of variables, including physical activity behaviors, social support, self-confidence and barriers to participation in exercise.

The women were an average of 33.4 years old. Overall, 26.1 percent were classified as sedentary and only 33.2 percent of the women were classified as sufficiently physically active.

The most common type of physical activity was walking. Most of the women reported no other moderate or vigorous activity. The most common barriers to physical activity were lack of assistance with child care (49.1 percent) and insufficient time (37.6 percent).

Verbal encouragement was the most common type of social support women reported (39.1 percent). More than half of the women never received assistance with housework or had others exercise with them.

The results of further analysis of the data demonstrated an association between sufficient physical activity and high levels of social support and high levels of self-confidence.

"This is an important group to whom diabetes prevention strategies can be targeted," Smith's team writes, but "diabetes prevention interventions for women with past gestational diabetes mellitus need to be informed by formative behavioral research."

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, November 2005.