Changing psychosocial determinants of physical activity and diet in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus

Background To investigate how a behavioural lifestyle intervention influences psychosocial determinants of physical activity and dietary behaviours in a population at risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods Fifty‐nine women with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m 2 and a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) participated in a randomized controlled study. The intervention group ( n  = 29) received 2 face‐to‐face and 5 telephone lifestyle‐counselling sessions with a health professional. The control group ( n  = 30) received care as usual. At baseline and 6 months, psychosocial determinants related to physical activity and diet were measured with a self‐administrated questionnaire. Linear regression analyses were applied to test for intervention effects. Results The intervention was effective in improving social support (β = 3.5, P  < 0.001; β = 2.1, P  = 0.02), modifying self‐efficacy (β = ‐2.2, P  = 0.02; β = ‐4.3, P  < 0.001), and reducing barriers (β = ‐3.5, P  = 0.01; β = ‐3.8, P  = 0.01) for, respectively, physical activity and diet from baseline to 6‐month follow‐up in the intervention group compared with the control group. The intervention reduced the following barriers to a physically active lifestyle: lack of energy and lack of motivation. Physical activity barriers like lack of time and lack of childcare were unchanged. The intervention reduced the following barriers to a healthy diet: lack of time, costs, having unhealthy snacks at home, and having cravings for sweets. Conclusion This lifestyle intervention influenced psychosocial determinants relevant for overweight women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in prevention of T2DM.