Living with Overweight, Rather than a History of Gestational Diabetes, Influences Dietary Quality and Physical Activity during Pregnancy

(1) Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend dietary and physical activity counselling for pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which a history of GDM and living with overweight before pregnancy modify dietary quality and physical activity during pregnancy. (2) Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study of 1034 pregnant women from different parts of Finland. The data were collected through electronic questionnaires. Dietary quality and physical activity were measured with stand-alone indices and compared according to the history of GDM and overweight status based on body mass index (BMI) category. (3) Results: Overall, 53% of the women had a poor dietary quality (Index of Diet Quality (IDQ) score < 10) and 45% a light physical activity level. The IDQ score or physical activity levels did not differ between women with and without a history of GDM. Instead, in women with overweight/obesity both the IDQ score and physical activity levels were lower compared to their normal-weight counterparts (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Pregnant women, particularly if living with overweight, commonly have a poor dietary quality and a light level of physical activity. A history of GDM is not reflected in the lifestyle habits, despite the assumption that they have received lifestyle counselling during a previous pregnancy. Pregnant women would benefit from new means to promote healthy lifestyle changes.

Automated summary

This study examined the dietary quality and physical activity levels of 1034 pregnant women in different regions of Finland. The results showed that 53% of the women had poor dietary quality and 45% had low levels of physical activity. However, these lifestyle habits were not significantly impacted by a history of gestational diabetes (GDM), but rather by overweight status.