An adequate understanding of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is essential for successful management of women who are newly diagnosed. The aim of this study is to identify pre-existing knowledge of women newly diagnosed with GDM, determine the impact of group education for women with poor pre-existing knowledge and determine the efficacy of nutrition education using two different group education models.
This study consists of 2 cohorts, each involving 100 women from the Diabetes Centre at Liverpool Hospital. A questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was developed to determine women’s knowledge of GDM principles pre and post education. One cohort received education in the original format involving carbohydrate exchanges, the other cohort with a stronger focus on practical application of GDM concepts and appropriate carbohydrate serves per meal.
Assessment of pre-existing knowledge revealed that the median score was 8 and 7 in cohort 1 and 2 respectively, with 22% of women scoring below 5. Despite the global improvement in score post education across the two cohorts, 12% of women continued with a score below 5 post education. There was a significant improvement in score post education using both education models (median score 8 and 9 in cohort 1 and 2 respectively, p-value <0.05 in both cohorts). There was no significant difference between the two education models in improving scores (P-valve=0.07), however women from the second cohort scored significantly better on questions relating to practical application of knowledge (P-value=0.04).
This study showed that the new education model is not only acceptable in delivering information on carbohydrate adequacy and other MNT principles, it may be even more effective in helping women to better apply their knowledge. The study also identified that some women with poor pre-existing knowledge may be unlikely to benefit from education in a group setting.