Predictors of physical activity following gestational diabetes: Application of health action process approach

Aim: Regular physical activity can reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes. The present study investigated the relationship between the constructs of the health action process approach and regular physical activity in women with a history of gestational diabetes.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Methods: A total of 150 women who had given birth 6-24 months prior to the study and had experienced gestational diabetes in their recent pregnancy were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected from December 2018 to May 2019 using a researcher-made questionnaire including constructs of health action process approach.

Results: The common fit indices revealed that health action process approach had an acceptable fit to the observations (root mean square error of approximation = 0.054, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.95, comparative fit index = 0.955). The model's constructs predicted 48% of intention variance and 35% of physical activity variance. Action self-efficacy and coping planning were the most important predictors of intention and behaviour, respectively.