Comparing Self-Management Behaviors Between Employed And Non-Employed Women with Diet-Controlled Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Jiali Xu; Tatirat  Tachasuksri; Punyarat Lapvongwatana

ผู้แต่ง

Jiali Xu Studeant Master of Nursing Science Program in Midwifery, 2Faculty of Nursing, Burapha University
Tatirat Tachasuksri Faculty of Nursing, Burapha University
Punyarat Lapvongwatana Faculty of Nursing, Burapha University

คำสำคัญ:

Diabetes, Gestational, Self-Management, Employment

บทคัดย่อ

This study aimed to compare self-management behaviors (SMB) between employed and non-employed women with diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to describe domain- and item-level patterns of SMB. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the prenatal clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. Using simple random sampling from the prenatal registration system, 160 women with diet-controlled GDM were recruited (89 employed, 71 non-employed). Sociodemographic and obstetric data were collected, and SMB was assessed using the 33-item GDM Self-Management Behavior Scale, which covers six domains. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests were used.

The overall SMB score was 105.65 (SD = 22.60; range 57–152), indicating a moderate level in both groups. Total SMB scores did not differ significantly between employed and non-employed women (104.56 ± 23.36 vs 107.01 ± 21.70; t(158) = 0.681, p = 0.497). No significant group differences were found in any SMB domain (all p > 0.05), although glucose monitoring showed the largest, non-significant difference (11.71 ± 4.41 vs 12.88 ± 4.17; t = −1.450, p = 0.149). Item-level analysis showed that employed women scored highest on daily vegetable intake and lowest on diet logging during glucose monitoring, whereas non-employed women scored highest on help-seeking when encountering SMB difficulties and lowest on progressively increasing exercise intensity.

In conclusion, employment status was not associated with meaningful differences in overall SMB among women with diet-controlled GDM, and both groups demonstrated only moderate self-management. Nursing interventions should focus on the relatively weak domains of SMB, particularly exercise management and glucose-monitoring, among pregnant women with GDM.

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