Women’s experience with peer counselling and social support during a lifestyle intervention among women with a previous gestational diabetes pregnancy

Abstract

Purpose: Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but most receive little guidance regarding disease prevention. This study examined the role and usefulness of social support, including peer counselling in facilitating behaviour change as a part of a healthy eating and physical activity intervention among women with a previous gestational diabetes mellitus pregnancy. Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive approach to investigate participants' experiences with the social support they received during the intervention. We used purposeful sampling and invited women and peer counsellors to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: We interviewed nine women and two peer counsellors. Participants received emotional, appraisal, and informational types of social support from the peer counsellor and exercise specialist that they reported as useful. Additionally, participants' received informal emotional and instrumental support from family, friends, and colleagues that they found useful in supporting behaviour change. Conclusions: Different types of social support are important to encourage behaviour change. These findings provide insight into the types of social support women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus find useful, in addition to practical ways that social support can be incorporated into future interventions.

“Post-GDM support would be really good for mothers”: A qualitative interview study exploring how to support a healthy diet and physical activity after gestational diabetes

“…Previous studies have reported varying views regarding the best timing for intervention: some suggest during pregnancy [17,27,28] while others suggest postpartum [17][18][19]. We concluded that women with GDM should be prepared for more specific follow-up interventions such as those described above during their pregnancy, provided that this is done in a sensitive manner, echoing the findings of Ingstrup et al regarding the importance of rapport with peer councillors [29]. In general, any healthcare professional involved in the care of women with GDM can promote a longer-term perspective.…”

Mobile health as a primary mode of intervention for women at risk of or diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus: a scoping review

“…60 These findings suggest future mHealth development should consider inclusion of existing online spaces women value in order to meet needs such as peer support, which have been found to impact women's ability to self-manage 61 and support behavior change. 62 Building on the findings of Chen et al, this review included six studies evaluating the effectiveness of mHealth systems for self-management of BGC. In accordance with NICE guidelines 63 evaluations typically adopted RCT designs to measure the ability of mHealth to improve glycemic control in comparison to standard care.…”

Postpartum Women’s Preferences for Lifestyle Intervention after Childbirth: A Multi-Methods Study Using the TIDieR Checklist

“…This study highlights the mismatch between postpartum women’s preferences for lifestyle support and current practice. From the preferences that women discussed it seems that there is a need for postpartum lifestyle interventions to shift from focusing on the provision of didactic information to teaching practical strategies to mitigate barriers to healthy lifestyle behaviours [ 31 ]. Such strategies could include meal planning and preparation ideas, how to use seasonal fruits and vegetables to minimise cost, cooking healthy on a budget, time management, and motivational tools such as reminders, self-monitoring, and reinforcement [ 13 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…Both interview and survey findings suggest that social support for childcare, cooking, and physical activity is an important component of lifestyle programs for postpartum women [ 31 ]. Social support is very important for healthy eating and engaging in regular physical activity in all population groups and especially for postpartum women because of the challenges of caring for an infant [ 13 , 31 , 35 ]. Previous studies have shown that mothers that feel well supported were more likely to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviours than those who did not feel supported [ 31 , 35 ].…”