Motivational interviewing to increase physical activity in women with gestational diabetes

Abstract

Regular physical activity improves glycaemic control in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Motivational interviewing is an effective technique for increasing activity levels. This report evaluates a clinical pathway developed to integrate physical activity motivational interviewing into routine gestational diabetes care. Women attending a single-centre NHS clinic were invited to engage in a physical activity-focused motivational interview. The aerobic physical activity levels of 62 women were evaluated at baseline and at a 2-week telephone follow up, coded into three categories by minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week: red (<30 minutes), amber (30–149 minutes) and green (≥150 minutes). At baseline, 30.6% of participants were coded red, 41.9% amber and 27.4% green. At follow up, 4.8% women coded red, 38.7% amber and 56.5% green, demonstrating a significant association for increased activity levels after motivational interviewing (P<0.001). This clinical pathway provides encouraging results that physical activity increased significantly in the short term.