Development of a Nutrition Promotion Program Using Carbohydrate Counting and Local Food Menus for Pregnant Women at Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus at the Antenatal Care Clinic, Prasat Hospital

Abstract

     This research aimed to develop and evaluate a nutrition promotion program integrating carbohydrate counting and local food menus and to examine changes in nutrition and carbohydrate-counting knowledge, dietary behaviors, 1-hour postprandial blood glucose levels, and program satisfaction among pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus attending the Antenatal Care Clinic at Prasat Hospital. The study was one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed during the evaluation phase. Forty pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes were purposively selected and participated in an 8-week program consisting of nutrition education, carbohydrate-counting training, the use of a local food menu guide, nutrition-label reading and meal-planning activities, and telephone follow-up counseling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, a knowledge test, a dietary behavior questionnaire, a 1-hour postprandial blood glucose record form, and a program satisfaction questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests were used for data analysis, with statistical significance set at .05.

     The participants had a mean age of 28.9 ± 5.2 years. Following the program, the mean nutrition and carbohydrate-counting knowledge score increased from 8.85 ± 2.41 to 12.93 ± 1.56 (t = 13.72, p < .001), and the mean dietary behavior score increased from 52.43 ± 6.82 to 68.75 ± 5.94 (t = 15.84, p < .001). The mean 1-hour postprandial blood glucose level decreased from 148.62 ± 18.54 to 129.45 ± 14.27 mg/dL (t = -8.96, p < .001). The proportion of participants achieving the service-defined target for 1-hour postprandial blood glucose increased from 30.0% to 77.5%. Overall satisfaction with the program was at the highest level, with a mean score of 4.73 ± 0.44.