Abstract

Introduction: Complications of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have drastic effects on the health of the mother and fetus from different aspects. Sufficient knowledge and self care skills, especially regarding nutrition and exercise, play a major role in the management of GDM. This study aimed at determining the impact of education on nutrition and exercise awareness and metabolic control indicators (fasting and post prandial blood sugars) among a group of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients, referred to hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, 61 class A1 gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients were selected through easy sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and controls. Before the intervention, we measured metabolic control indicators and levels of knowledge in both groups, using laboratory tests and a specifically designed and validated written test (containing 34 multiple choice questions respectively, with a reliability of KR20: 0.81). Educational interventions were then implemented for about 6 hours weekly for the experimental group, and the expected outcomes were measured in both groups immediately following and again two weeks after the end of the intervention. Finally, the data collected were analyzed by SPSS software, version 11.5, using independent sample t-test, Chi-square and Bonferroni. Results: The results of data analysis revealed that after educational intervention the means for knowledge and post-prandial blood sugars (1 and 2hpp) were significantly different in the experimental group (p<0/001). Conclusion: Results show that the effectiveness of the educational intervention in the improvement of the level of knowledge and metabolic control indicators, emphasizing hence the need for appropriate interactive education among such groups.