Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,203 studies31 sourcesUpdated 38 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYNutrients

Key Components of Prenatal Nutrition Education Interventions to Prevent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Min Gao1,2
  • Yulu Zhang1,2
  • Zixuan Liu1,2
  • Yunqi Yang1,2
  • Yadi Zhang3
  • Shanshan Cui1,2
  • Xiaxia Cai1,2
  • Huanling Yu1,2
  1. 1Beijing Key Laboratory of Environment and Aging, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
  2. 2Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
  3. 3Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between key components of prenatal nutrition education interventions and the prevention of GDM in pregnant women. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from database inception to 18 January 2026, using search terms including “gestational diabetes mellitus,” “glycemic control,” “pregnancy,” and “nutrition interventions”; only English-language publications were eligible. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing prenatal nutrition education interventions and reporting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) incidence. Of the initial 4961 retrieved records, 29 RCTs fulfilled the selection criteria. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, two reviewers independently performed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Given expected clinical heterogeneity, pooled risk ratios (RRs) were synthesized via a random-effects model. The primary outcome was GDM incidence, expressed as a pooled RR comparing nutrition education intervention groups with control groups. Results: A total of 29 RCTs comprising 17,937 pregnant women were included. The pooled analysis showed that prenatal nutrition education interventions were associated with a statistically significant reduction in GDM risk (pooled RR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.79–0.98]; p = 0.02). In absolute terms, the GDM incidence was 16.01% in the intervention group vs. 17.06% in the control group. Moderate between-study heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 51.1%; p for heterogeneity < 0.001), largely driven by variations in dietary protocols and intervention fidelity. Conclusions: In this meta-analysis of 29 RCTs, prenatal nutrition education was associated with a significantly lower GDM risk. Interventions grounded in nutritional theory, delivered in hospital settings, and achieving high fidelity were associated with the largest reductions in risk; delivery by healthcare professionals, high individualization, and balanced dietary content showed favorable but statistically nonsignificant trends. These findings support the systematic adoption of these core components in routine antenatal care to mitigate the GDM burden.

Related

  1. Combined nutrition and physical activity education for early adolescents with malnutrition: A systematic review of overweight interventions and the undernutrition evidence gap
    Radiet Kidane Alemu, Tefera Belachew, Beyene Wondefrashe +3
    PLOS Global Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNutritionPLOS
  2. School-based mindfulness interventions in children and adolescents: an umbrella review of systematic reviews, with implications for physical education
    Claudia Arreza-Roca, Noelia González-Gálvez
    BMC Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Epidemiology & public healthCrossref
  3. Carbohydrate Quality Versus Quantity in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus While Considering Randomized Dietary Interventions: A Systematic Review.
    Swati Aggarwal, Gurjeet K Chawla, Renu Gupta
    CureusPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textNutritionEurope PMCPMC
  4. Effectiveness of mHealth Nutrition Interventions on Nutrition-Related and Clinical Outcomes in Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Samantha Walter-Cano, Allison Lee, Jeanette M. Andrade
    NutrientsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNutritionCrossrefEurope PMC
  5. The Impact of Telemedicine Interventions on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Women With Gestational Diabetes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
    Hongyue He, Juan Deng, Jingxian Liu +5
    Journal of medical Internet researchPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{gao2026components,
  title = {{Key Components of Prenatal Nutrition Education Interventions to Prevent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
  author = {Min Gao and Yulu Zhang and Zixuan Liu and Yunqi Yang and Yadi Zhang and Shanshan Cui and Xiaxia Cai and Huanling Yu},
  journal = {Nutrients},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/nu18193303},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667000},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Key Components of Prenatal Nutrition Education Interventions to Prevent Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AU  - Min Gao
AU  - Yulu Zhang
AU  - Zixuan Liu
AU  - Yunqi Yang
AU  - Yadi Zhang
AU  - Shanshan Cui
AU  - Xiaxia Cai
AU  - Huanling Yu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Nutrients
DO  - 10.3390/nu18193303
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13667000
AB  - Objective: To investigate the association between key components of prenatal nutrition education interventions and the prevention of GDM in pregnant women. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from database inception to 18 January 2026, using search terms including “gestational diabetes mellitus,” “glycemic control,” “pregnancy,” and “nutrition interventions”; only English-language publications were eligible. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing prenatal nutrition education interventions and reporting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) incidence. Of the initial 4961 retrieved records, 29 RCTs fulfilled the selection criteria. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, two reviewers independently performed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Given expected clinical heterogeneity, pooled risk ratios (RRs) were synthesized via a random-effects model. The primary outcome was GDM incidence, expressed as a pooled RR comparing nutrition education intervention groups with control groups. Results: A total of 29 RCTs comprising 17,937 pregnant women were included. The pooled analysis showed that prenatal nutrition education interventions were associated with a statistically significant reduction in GDM risk (pooled RR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.79–0.98]; p = 0.02). In absolute terms, the GDM incidence was 16.01% in the intervention group vs. 17.06% in the control group. Moderate between-study heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 51.1%; p for heterogeneity < 0.001), largely driven by variations in dietary protocols and intervention fidelity. Conclusions: In this meta-analysis of 29 RCTs, prenatal nutrition education was associated with a significantly lower GDM risk. Interventions grounded in nutritional theory, delivered in hospital settings, and achieving high fidelity were associated with the largest reductions in risk; delivery by healthcare professionals, high individualization, and balanced dietary content showed favorable but statistically nonsignificant trends. These findings support the systematic adoption of these core components in routine antenatal care to mitigate the GDM burden.
SN  - 2072-6643
ER  -