Social Support and Physical Activity in Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Exploring the Mediating Role of Fear of Falling.
Yupeng Wang, Rong Zhang, Suwen Feng
PMID 40098199WHAT IT FOUND
Among 385 pregnant women with gestational diabetes, higher social support was associated with more physical activity and less fear of falling.
Fear of falling was associated with lower activity. Only 17.66% met guidelines.
Key findings
01Average physical activity was 71.87 MET-hours per week, and 17.66% reached the recommended guideline standard.
02Higher social support was associated with more physical activity and less fear of falling, while higher fear of falling was associated with less physical activity.
03The indirect effect of social support on physical activity through fear of falling was 0.302 and accounted for 62.40% of the total effect.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from one region of China, so it may not represent pregnant women with GDM elsewhere. Participants were assessed only at a certain point during pregnancy, while fear of falling and physical activity may change as pregnancy progresses. The cross-sectional design cannot show that social support or fear of falling causes changes in physical activity. The study did not test an intervention, so it cannot show which care components increase activity. Physical activity, social support, and fear of falling were measured by questionnaire reports.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Medical Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing fear of falling will increase physical activity. The study measured associations at one time point and did not test an intervention.