The effect of education and counseling provided through a mobile application on healthy lifestyle behaviors in women with gestational diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of mobile application‐based education and counseling on healthy lifestyle behaviors among women with gestational diabetes. METHOD: A total of 54 pregnant women with gestational diabetes were randomized into an experimental group (n = 27) and a control group (n = 27) using a computer‐generated simple randomization sequence with allocation concealment. The intervention group received a 4‐week structured educational program and individual counseling via a mobile application, whereas the control group received standard hospital care. Data were collected using the "Gestational Diabetes Individual Descriptive Form" and the "Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale‐II (HLBS‐II)" in the pretraining (24‐28 weeks), posttraining (29‐32 weeks), and postnatal (4‐6 weeks) periods. Descriptive statistics were reported as mean ± standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, and differences over time were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni‐adjusted post hoc tests (p < .05). RESULTS: The Mage of participants was 31.7 ± 6.1 years. Pretraining HLBS scores did not differ significantly between the groups (p = .15). Postnatal, the experimental group showed significantly higher HLBS total scores compared with the control group (mean difference = 15.7, 95% confidence interval [9.2, 22.1], p < .001). This difference was maintained at postpartum follow‐up (mean difference = 13.8, 95% confidence interval [8.4, 19.3], p < .001). Subscale analyses indicated significant improvements in health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual development, and stress management, whereas interpersonal relations did not significantly differ between groups (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Mobile application‐based education and counseling significantly improved healthy lifestyle behaviors in women with gestational diabetes compared with standard hospital care. Integrating digital health tools into routine antenatal care may enhance self‐management and lifestyle modification in this population.