What did you investigate and how?

In my PhD project, together with my supervisors, I examined factors that influence the implementation of the Face-it intervention. We carried out three studies: 1) Qualitative study – explored how the women in the Face-it intervention experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, as well as their health literacy and risk perception in their interactions with the healthcare system. 2) Quantitative study – analysed the recruitment process in the Face-it trial, describing the characteristics of participating women and assessing how representative they were compared with other women with previous GDM. 3) Quantitative study – assessed the feasibility of the intervention itself.

 

What did you find?

Our findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the women’s daily lives in both positive and negative ways. The shift to telephone and virtual contacts made it difficult for them to navigate health-visitor services. Regarding recruitment, 33 % of invited women completed the baseline assessment, and partner participation was high (70 %). The participating women were broadly comparable to other populations with previous GDM, but multiparous women, women delivering pre-term or twins, and women with pre-pregnancy overweight were under-represented. The intervention was delivered and received largely as planned: almost all women received 2–3 home visits and registered on the Liva app. Women who received and engaged in the highest number of home visits and online coaching showed better risk perception and health literacy at the study’s end than women in the control group.

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Relevant links 

Research profile

Nanna Husted Jensen​

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Publications 

• The experience of women with recent gestational diabetes during the COVID-19 lockdown: a qualitative study from Denmark

• Health promotion intervention among women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus: penetration, participation, and baseline findings from the Face-it randomized controlled trial

• Under preperation: On behalf of the Face-it study Group. Evaluating intervention fidelity and behaviour change mechanisms: A secondary analysis of the Face-it randomized controlled trial

 

PhD supervisors 

Helle Terkildsen Maindal, MPH, PhD
Department of Public Health, Aarhus University;
Department of Prevention, Health Promotion & Society, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
Email: htm@ph.au.dk

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Karoline Kragelund Nielsen, MSc in Public Health, PhD
Department of Prevention, Health Promotion & Society, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
Email: karoline.kragelund.nielsen@regionh.dk

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Inger Katrine Dahl-Petersen, MSc in Public Health, Project Coordinator,
Department of Prevention, Health Promotion & Society, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
Email: inger.katrine.dahl-petersen.01@regionh.dk

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Sharleen O’Reilly, RD, PhD, Associate Professor, University College Dublin, Ireland
Email: sharleen.oreilly@ucd.ie

 

University affiliation

Aarhus University

 

Funding​

The PhD project was funded by Aarhus University.

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