Study design and participants
We conducted a randomized controlled trial in the Geneva University
Hospitals (Switzerland) from February 2008 through April 2013. Women
recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes using standard criteria11 and referred to a multidisciplinary team of
diabetologists, specialised nurses, dieticians, obstetricians and
midwives, were invited to participate. In our setting, from 2008 until
2010, GDM was diagnosed with a 50g OGTT (O’Sullivan test:12). A 50g OGTT ≥ 11 mmol/L was considered as
gestational diabetes. If the result was ≥ 7.8 mmol/L but less than 11
mmol/L, a 100g OGTT was undertaken, and the results interpreted using
the Carpenter and Coustan criteria 11. From 2011
onward, GDM was diagnosed with a 75g OGTT using the IADPSG criteria13.
Consenting women with a singleton pregnancy, a positive GDM test, and
not treated with insulin were invited to participate. Exclusion criteria
were age less than 18 years, insulin already started or prescribed
during the first visit, pre-existing diabetes and a contraindication for
physical activity.
The protocol complied to the principles of the Helsinki declaration, the
study was approved by the Geneva University Hospital Research Ethics
Committee (reference n° 07-080 MATPED 07-021) and registered at
clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03174340). All participating women provided
written informed consent.