Exploring women's preferences for diabetes prevention programs after gestational diabetes: A qualitative descriptive...

Diabetes prevention programs (DPPs) that target the risk factors of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are critical for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). A new postpartum DPP developed in Toronto, Canada, has undergone successful pilot and feasibility testing. Preparation is now underway to implement this multi-centre DPP in Ontario, Canada. We aimed to explore the perspectives and preferences of women with GDM to inform program refinements and implementation strategy design for this DPP.

We used qualitative descriptive methods to elicit the perspectives of women with GDM regarding preferences for a postpartum DPP. The results of semi-structured interviews were analyzed using directed content analysis. We mapped the resulting findings to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behavior (COM-B) Model of Behavior Change.

We identified three findings and six sub-findings that coincided with the components and sub-components of the COM-B Model of Behavior Change: (1) Capability-(a) physical and (b) psychological, balancing the ability to make behavior changes and the emotional impact of those changes; (2) Opportunity-(a) physical and (b) social, considering physical limitations of behavior changes and participating in a community of new mothers; and (3) Motivation-(a) reflexive and (b) automatic, examining the reasons for avoiding diabetes and understanding the correlation between diet, physical activity and well-being.

Women with GDM desire the support of a DPP to avoid diabetes that considers their unique needs. A tailored approach that accounts for the capabilities, opportunities and motivations distinct to new mothers may optimize DPP uptake and engagement.