Effects of a Self-Care Program for Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Receiving Antenatal Care at Yasothon Hospital

Abstract

This one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research was conducted to examine the effects of a self-care program for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who received antenatal care at Yasothon Hospital. Samples consisted of 30 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM. Data were collected between January and June 2024. The research instruments included the self-care program for pregnant women with GDM at Yasothon hospital, a demographic data questionnaire, a knowledge questionnaire on GDM, and a self-care behavior assessment. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the self-care behavior assessment were 0.77 and 0.80. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired sample t-test.

Results showed that the mean knowledge score about GDM after participating in the program was significantly higher than before (t=5.96, p<0.001, 95%CI=0.57-1.16). Overall mean score for self-care behavior was also significantly higher after the program (t=4.59, p<0.001, 95%CI=0.06-0.16). In addition, the mean blood glucose level after participating in the program was significantly lower than before (t=3.52, p=0.001, 95%CI=2.40-9.00). Therefore, the self-care program for pregnant women with GDM should be implemented as part of antenatal care services to enhance their knowledge and confidence in self-management, particularly for preventing pregnancy-related complications.