The effect of education and counseling provided through a mobile application on healthy lifestyle behaviors in women with gestational diabetes: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of mobile application-based education and counseling on healthy lifestyle behaviors among women with gestational diabetes.

METHOD: A total of 54 pregnant women with gestational diabetes were randomized into an experimental group (n = 27) and a control group (n = 27) using a computer-generated simple randomization sequence with allocation concealment. The intervention group received a 4-week structured educational program and individual counseling via a mobile application, whereas the control group received standard hospital care. Data were collected using the "Gestational Diabetes Individual Descriptive Form" and the "Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-II (HLBS-II)" in the pretraining (24-28 weeks), posttraining (29-32 weeks), and postnatal (4-6 weeks) periods. Descriptive statistics were reported as mean ± standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, and differences over time were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests (p < .05).

RESULTS

The Mage of participants was 31.7 ± 6.1 years. Pretraining HLBS scores did not differ significantly between the groups (p = .15). Postnatal, the experimental group showed significantly higher HLBS total scores compared with the control group (mean difference = 15.7, 95% confidence interval [9.2, 22.1], p < .001). This difference was maintained at postpartum follow-up (mean difference = 13.8, 95% confidence interval [8.4, 19.3], p < .001). Subscale analyses indicated significant improvements in health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual development, and stress management, whereas interpersonal relations did not significantly differ between groups (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

Mobile application-based education and counseling significantly improved healthy lifestyle behaviors in women with gestational diabetes compared with standard hospital care. Integrating digital health tools into routine antenatal care may enhance self-management and lifestyle modification in this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).