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Women’s barriers to weight loss, perception of future diabetes risk and opinions of diet strategies following gestational diabetes: An online survey
Gray, Kristy L. McKellar, Lois O’reilly, Sharleen L. Clifton, Peter Keogh, Jennifer
Gray, Kristy L.
McKellar, Lois
O’reilly, Sharleen L.
Clifton, Peter
Keogh, Jennifer
Abstract
Weight loss after gestational diabetes (GDM) reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM); however, weight loss remains challenging in this population. In order to explore perceptions of T2DM risk, barriers to weight loss, and views of diet strategies in women with previous GDM, a cross-sectional online survey of n = 429 women in Australia aged ≥18 years with previous GDM was conducted. Opinions of intermittent energy restriction (IER) were of interest. Seventy-five percent of responders (n = 322) had overweight or obesity, and 34% (n = 144) believed they had
a high risk of developing T2DM. Within the Theoretical Domains Framework, barriers to weight loss were prominently related to Environmental Context and Resources, Beliefs about Capabilities, and Behavioural Regulation. Exercising was the most tried method of weight loss over other diet strategies (71%, n = 234) and weight loss support by a dietician was appealing as individual appointments (65%, n = 242) or an online program (54%, n = 200). Most women (73%, n = 284) had heard of IER (the “5:2 diet”), but only 12% (n = 34) had tried it. Open comments (n = 100) revealed mixed views of IER. Women in Australia with previous GDM were found to lack a self-perceived high risk of developing T2DM and expressed barriers to weight loss related to their family environment, beliefs about their capabilities and behavioural regulation. IER is appealing for some women with previous GDM; however, views vary.
Keywords
diabetes risk, gestational diabetes, weight loss barriers, diet strategies, intermittent energy restriction, theoretical domains framework
Date
2020
Type
Journal article
Journal
Book
Volume
17
Issue
24
Page Range
1-12
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).