Effects of Diet and Exercise Interventions to Prevent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant Women With High-Risk Factors in China: A Randomized Controlled Study

This is a randomized controlled study to determine whether diet and exercise interventions can reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women with high-risk factors. Ninety-four pregnant women were randomly divided into the intervention (n = 47) and control (n = 47) groups. A diet and exercise program was provided for the intervention group by researchers and was adjusted every 2 weeks by outpatient or WeChat intervention. The control group only received the routine health management in the hospital. Follow-up continued until the birth of the baby. The incidence of GDM (23.9%) in the intervention group was lower than in the control group (51.1%) (p = .007). Weight gain did not differ significantly between the two groups throughout pregnancy (p = .572). It is concluded that diet and exercise interventions can reduce the incidence of GDM in pregnant women with high-risk factors.