Background: During pregnancy, 2 main types of carbohydrate tolerance disorders may occur: pregestational diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Gestational diabetes mellitus constitutes 90% of the cases diagnosed during pregnancy; 10% of the cases are previously undetected type 1 diabetes. In the subsequent pregnancy, in as many as 30% of the women, GDM will occur again.
Objectives: To determine the level of awareness of the women diagnosed with GDM concerning the diagnosis and self-control of diabetes, as well as the risk of poorly controlled or treated gestational diabetes. In particular, the attention was paid to the women's awareness of self-control and dietary behavior, depending on their age, education, number of pregnancies, and quality of medical care.
Material and methods: One hundred women with gestational diabetes were accepted as the study group. To achieve the research goal, the study used a questionnaire consisting of 46 questions.
Results: As a result of the analysis, a relatively high level of awareness was found among 31.3% of the women aged 19-24, which decreased with age. It was noticed that the level of women's awareness of metabolic complications in pregnancy did not increase along with the potential experience and practically acquired knowledge related to earlier pregnancy. However, with age, the awareness of the need to change the lifestyle with focus on physical activity increased, although it did not matter whether it was the first or the subsequent pregnancy.
Conclusion: The results emerging from this study provide a perfect basis for conducting further research in a given direction, as they highlight many dependencies that can potentially influence the awareness of various aspects related to gestational diabetes.
Keywords: awareness; diabetes; gestational; pregnancy; women.