The effects of a couple-based gestational diabetes mellitus intervention on self-management and pregnancy outcomes: A randomised controlled trial

Aims: To estimate the effectiveness of the Couples Coping with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Programme on GDM self-management and pregnancy outcomes. Methods: A randomised controlled trial among pregnant women with suboptimal GDM self-management and their partners was undertaken. Couples recruited from three hospitals in China were randomly allocated to either intervention (n = 70) or control (n = 70) conditions. Couples in the intervention group underwent the couple-based intervention (GDM education, shared illness appraisals, initiation of collaborative action and consolidation of collaborative action). Women in the control group received individual GDM education. Data were analysed using the independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and generalised estimating equations. Results: GDM knowledge for the women and their partners and GDM self-management significantly improved in both the intervention and control groups, with stronger improvement in the intervention group. Women in the intervention group gained significantly less weight than those in the control group (11.2 kg ± 2.8 kg vs 13.1 kg ± 2.6 kg, p = 0.008). Infant birth weights were significantly lower in the intervention group (3.2 kg ± 0.3 kg vs 3.4 kg ± 0.4 kg, p = 0.008). There were no significant differences in other pregnancy outcomes. Conclusions: The Couples Coping with GDM Programme was associated with improvements in GDM knowledge of women and their partners and in women's self-management, and with lower gestational weight gain and infant birth weight.