Diet Quality among Women with Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Areas of Hunan Province

Abstract

Diet quality is critical for postpartum type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progression among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The Chinese Healthy Eating Index (CHEI) is a dietary index developed according to the latest Chinese Dietary Guidelines (CDG-2016). Our study aimed to assess the diet quality of women with previous GDM in rural areas of Hunan Province by applying the CHEI. Women with previous GDM in two counties of Hunan were enrolled. Their food intake data, which were used to calculate their CHEI scores, were collected by a 24-h dietary recall. The association of CHEI with sociodemographic and anthropometric variables was evaluated via linear regression models. 404 women were included in the final analysis. The mean score of the total CHEI was 54.9 (SD 7.9). The components of whole grains and mixed beans, seeds and nuts, tubers, dairy, and poultry scored extremely low. Ethnic minority groups and women younger than 30 years had lower CHEI scores. Our study observed an unsatisfactory diet quality among women with previous GDM in rural areas of Hunan Province. Future dietary education focusing on the CDG is needed to improve their diet quality and help in T2DM prevention among this population, especially young and ethnic minority women.

The Association of Specific Dietary Patterns with Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review

“…One study was reported over three separate articles which were identified by the search. Whilst each article was not individually eligible for inclusion, they were all included as the collated information provided in all of the articles facilitated eligibility [ 55 , 56 , 57 ]. One article was found to be a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial (RCT).…”

“…One study was found which evaluated the role of the CHEI. The randomised controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of intensive lifestyle modifications in two centres within rural areas of Hunan Province, China, on physiological health outcomes including the development of T2DM and weight-related variables, and was reported over several articles by the group [ 56 ]. After the 6-month intervention, there were significant reductions in fasting blood glucose, 2-h glucose at OGTT.…”

“…Two studies reported on the relationship between CHEI adherence and markers of body weight. In the study of dietary quality among women with previous GDM by Li et al, it was reported that CHEI scores were low in this population, with no difference across the BMI categories [ 56 ]. Chen et al reported that participants in the lifestyle intervention group had higher reductions in waist circumferences compared to those in the control group at 6 months.…”

Risk Preference, Health Risk Perception, and Environmental Exposure Nexus: Evidence from Rural Women as Pig Breeders, China

“…Moreover, although the government has established gender equality in legislation and granted women land rights; still women's rights concerns regarding their health, the voice for their rights are not supported and even taken for granted. Additionally, women in China residing in deprived rural areas have low health risk perceptions, putting their health conditions incredibly at worst for a long time ( Li et al, 2020). Although some scholars have discussed rural women's cognitive health (Ginja et al, 2020), nutritional status (Perkins et al, 2019), pregnant women's health rights (Bussink-Voorend et al, 2020), and food insecurity issues (Sinclair et al, 2019), as well as cooking fuels impacting women's health (Imran & Ozcatalbas, 2020) in the existing studies.…”

The Impact of Lifestyle Intervention on Dietary Quality among Rural Women with Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus—A Randomized Controlled Study

“…Meanwhile, inequal health resources and a low level of health literacy are significant barriers to a healthy lifestyle in rural areas [ 22 , 23 ]. Our previous study has demonstrated unsatisfactory diet quality among women with previous GDM in rural regions [ 24 ]. Currently, there is no report relevant to lifestyle intervention for this special population in China.…”