Awareness of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Among Women in the Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition characterized by impaired glucose tolerance that develops during pregnancy. The prevalence of GDM is increasing globally, including in the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia. However, there needs to be more data on the awareness of women in this region regarding GDM and its associated risks. This research aimed to evaluate the level of awareness among women in the Al-Baha region regarding GDM.MethodologyThis study followed an observational cross-sectional design conducted from April 2023 to December 2023. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 457 participants from the resident women of reproductive age in the Al-Baha region. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire that assessed knowledge and awareness of GDM risk factors, assessment, therapy, and implications. The questionnaire included a 12-item section evaluating GDM awareness, with correct answers receiving a score of 1. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data with Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 28) (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY).ResultsThe majority of participants fell into the age group of more than 36 years (n=207, 45.3%), with a significant proportion having completed university/diploma education (n=282, 61.7%), and most of them worked outside the health sector (n=283, 61.9%). Approximately 27.8% correctly identified that the number of pregnancies does not increase the chance of developing GDM. Only (n=48, 10.5%) accurately identified the usual time for diagnosing GDM in the absence of risk factors, which is between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. Similarly, 26.0% (119 participants) correctly recognized a history of a previous pregnancy with a child weighing more than 4.5 kg as a factor that increases the suspicion of developing GDM in the future. However, it is important to note that the majority of participants (n=311, 68.1%) had a poor level of awareness regarding GDM.ConclusionThe findings revealed that the overall level of knowledge about GDM was poor, with less than 10% of participants demonstrating adequate awareness. The study also highlighted that over 80% of the participants were unaware of GDM.