What are factors that Influence Decision-Making in Blood Glucose Management for Pregnant Women?

Recent study aims to investigate the decision-making behavior and influencing factors of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in China. A total of 1,405 pregnant women with GDM from eight hospitals participated in the study. Questionnaires were used to assess knowledge, protection motivation, and decision-making behavior related to blood glucose management. The results showed that pregnant women had medium levels of glucose management knowledge, high or medium levels of protection motivations, and high decision-making behavior scores. Factors influencing decision-making included time since GDM diagnosis, GDM history, self-efficacy, severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, and response costs.

Influence of Knowledge and Motivation

The study revealed that pregnant women with better knowledge and motivation were more likely to engage in active decision-making and effectively manage their blood glucose levels. Protection motivation theory was utilized to understand the decision-making process, emphasizing how awareness of disease severity, harm of unhealthy behaviors, and coping abilities influenced decision-making behavior. The study found correlations between knowledge, motivation, and decision-making behavior, highlighting the importance of these factors in blood glucose management.

Factors Affecting Decision-Making

Key factors affecting decision-making included gestational age, severity, susceptibility, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost. High perceived severity and susceptibility to poor blood glucose management correlated with active control behaviors, while lower response costs were associated with more favorable decision-making. The study recommended individualized health education and interventions to promote positive decision-making behaviors throughout pregnancy.

Recommendations and Acknowledgements

The findings suggested that interventions based on protection motivation theory could enhance self-management behavior and improve pregnancy outcomes for women with GDM. The study provided insights for healthcare providers to offer appropriate support and education, helping pregnant women with GDM maintain optimal decision-making in blood glucose management. The study acknowledges its limitations, such as potential bias in survey comprehension and the need for further validation of the survey instrument in a clinical setting.

Key Points

- The study focused on examining the decision-making behavior of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in China, involving 1,405 participants from eight hospitals, assessing knowledge, protection motivation, and decision-making related to blood glucose management.

- Pregnant women exhibited moderate levels of glucose management knowledge, high or medium levels of protection motivations, and scored high on decision-making behavior. Factors influencing decision-making included time since GDM diagnosis, GDM history, self-efficacy, severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, and response costs.

- Better knowledge and motivation in pregnant women were associated with more active decision-making and effective blood glucose management. The Protection Motivation Theory was employed to analyze the decision-making process concerning disease awareness, harm of unhealthy behaviors, and coping abilities.

- Factors like gestational age, severity, susceptibility, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost played crucial roles in decision-making. High perceived severity and susceptibility correlated with positive control behaviors, while lower response costs led to better decision-making outcomes.

- Tailored health education and interventions were recommended to enhance positive decision-making behaviors throughout pregnancy for women with GDM. Interventions based on the Protection Motivation Theory could potentially improve self-management and pregnancy outcomes for this population.

- The study underlined the importance of knowledge, motivation, and understanding factors influencing decision-making in blood glucose management for pregnant women with GDM. It also noted limitations related to survey comprehension bias and the necessity for further validation of survey tools in clinical settings.

Reference –

Shuai Xu et al. (2025). Decision-Making Behavior Of Blood Glucose Management And Its Influencing Factors In Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. *BMC Pregnancy And Childbirth*, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07207-w