PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Ringvoll, Hanne AU - Kolberg, Marit AU - Rangul, Vegar AU - Hafskjold, Ingrid AU - Haug, Eirin Beate AU - Blomhoff, Rune AU - Henriksen, Hege Berg AU - Horn, Julie TI - Postpartum lifestyle behaviour among women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus: evidence from the HUNT study AID - 10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000612 DP - 2023 Oct 11 TA - BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health PG - e000612 4099 - http://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2023/10/11/bmjnph-2022-000612.short 4100 - http://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2023/10/11/bmjnph-2022-000612.full AB - Introduction Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recommendations for postpartum follow-up include targeted lifestyle advice to lower the risk.The aim of this study was to compare postpartum lifestyle behaviours and perceptions among women with and without a history of GDM. In addition, we examined whether lifestyle behaviours of women with a history of GDM participating in a lifestyle intervention study differed from lifestyle behaviours of women with a history of GDM in the general population.Research design and methods We linked data from the fourth survey of the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4) to information from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway for women with registered births between 2000 and 2019. Using logistic regression, we compared lifestyle behaviours in women with and without GDM. In secondary analyses, lifestyle behaviours in women with GDM participating in a postpartum lifestyle intervention study were compared with HUNT participants with GDM using Fisher’s exact tests/t-tests.Results A high proportion of the women in our population, regardless of GDM history, reported several unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. We found no significant association between history of GDM and lifestyle behaviours. The lifestyle intervention study for women with a history of GDM appeared to recruit women with more favourable lifestyle behaviours.Conclusions Women, regardless of GDM history, could potentially benefit from further support for lifestyle improvement, but it may be especially important in women with a history of GDM given their increased risk of T2DM and CVD. Interventions targeting women with GDM might not reach the women with the unhealthiest lifestyle behaviours, and measures to reach out to all women should be further investigated.Data are available on reasonable request. The Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) has invited persons aged 13–100 years to four surveys between 1984 and 2019. Comprehensive data from more than 140 000 persons having participated at least once and biological material from 78 000 persons are collected. The data are stored in HUNT databank and biological material in HUNT biobank. HUNT Research Centre has permission from the Norwegian Data Inspectorate to store and handle these data.The key identification in the data base is the personal identification number given to all Norwegians at birth or immigration, whilst deidentified data are sent to researchers on approval of a research protocol by the Regional Ethical Committee and HUNT Research Centre. To protect participants’ privacy, HUNT Research Centre aims to limit storage of data outside HUNT databank, and cannot deposit data in open repositories. HUNT databank has precise information on all data exported to different projects and are able to reproduce these on request. There are no restrictions regarding data export given approval of applications to HUNT Research Centre. For more information see: http://www.ntnu.edu/hunt/data.