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. 2023 Mar 15:14:1043319.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1043319. eCollection 2023.

Puerperium experience and lifestyle in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and overweight/obesity in China: A qualitative study

Jing He  1   2 , Kaili Hu  1 , Cui Xing  1 , Binghua Wang  1 , Tieying Zeng  1 , Hui Wang  1
Affiliations

Puerperium experience and lifestyle in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and overweight/obesity in China: A qualitative study

Jing He et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Women with overweight or obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other metabolic diseases. Healthy postpartum lifestyles in women with GDM are important for effectively preventing early T2DM occurrence; however, few studies and guidelines focus in China on this issue.

Aims: This qualitative study aimed to understand the puerperium experience and lifestyle of women with overweight/obesity and GDM.

Methods: A face-to-face, in-depth, and semi-structured interview was conducted using a hermeneutical phenomenology method to collect data that were analyzed through thematic analysis.

Results: Out of 61 recruited women with overweight/obesity and history of GDM, 14 women underwent an interview and provided detailed descriptions of their lifestyle experiences during puerperium. The interview data were used to generate four themes-puerperium dietary behavior, weight perception and "confinement" behavior, family support, disease knowledge, and perceived risk-and nine sub-themes.

Conclusion: Unhealthy lifestyles, misconceptions about food, the conflict between physical activity and confinement behavior, a lack of social and family support, and low awareness of disease risk are all common among overweight/obese women with a history of GDM. Thus, we emphasized that healthcare providers should provide continuous preventive care from pregnancy to postpartum and promote long-term health in high-risk populations with a history of GDM associated with overweight/obesity.

Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus; lifestyle; obesity; overweight; puerperium; qualitative research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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