Effect of Health Belief Model based Educational Package on Lifestyle among Gestational Diabetic Women

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with potentially harmfuleffects on the mother and fetus. Thus the identification of GDM offers a chance to improvepregnancy outcomes and identify women to target dietary & lifestyle health promotion. Aim of thisresearch was to evaluate effect of health belief model based educational package on lifestyle amonggestational diabetic women. Design: A quasi experimental design was utilized. Setting: Thisresearch was conducted in obstetrics & gynecological outpatient clinic and maternity hospital (highrisk department) at the Zagazig University Hospital, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Sample: Apurposive sample of (62) randomly women. Tools: Data were collected through three main tools: Aself-administered questionnaire to assess women’s general characteristics and knowledge regardinggestational diabetes mellitus, health belief model scale, and health promoting lifestyle Profile II.Results: showed that there was a highly statistically significant difference regarding all knowledgeitems and total of all items of health belief model before and after GDM educational packageimplementation (P< 0.000). Moreover, there was a highly statistically significant difference inrelation to all items of women’s lifestyle regarding GDM (nutrition, physical activity, stressmanagement and health responsibility) before and after GDM educational package implementation(P < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a positive statistically significant correlation between totalknowledge score, total lifestyle score and total health belief model score before and after GDMeducational package implementation (p<0.001). Recommendations: Establishing strategies toenhance the women’s understanding of healthy lifestyle by applying this model to a large sample invarious obstetrics and gynecological outpatient clinics.