The study found that both the supervised and self home exercise programs were effective in improving blood glucose levels and quality of life, while there were no significant differences in birth outcomes among the groups. Additionally, the results indicated that the supervised home exercise program was more effective than the self home exercise program and the control group. Moreover, the self home exercise program and the standard care showed similar effects on blood glucose levels.
Home exercise programs had little or no effect on fasting glucose levels, HbA1c, insulin require, insulin sensitivity index, gestational age at delivery, preterm birth, birth weight, or head circumference in women with gestational diabetes, according to one meta-analysis [15]. Home-based exercise regimens do not appear to have an effect on the recurrence or glycemic control of gestational diabetes, despite epidemiological research suggesting that greater physical activity lowers the risk of gestational diabetes and improves glucose tolerance throughout pregnancy [11]. In another study, the introduction of a home-based exercise after a diagnosis of GDM led to improved daily postprandial glucose management, but there were no significant changes in HbA1c, glucose tolerance, or the insulin response to the post-intervention OGTT [7]. The effectiveness of home exercise programs in gestational diabetes is not well understood, and there are only a few studies investigating the effectiveness of supervised home exercise. For example, one trial started a 14-week supervised home exercise program at 14 weeks gestation, but it had little impact on the return of gestational diabetes, overall glucose intolerance, or insulin sensitivity [16]. This result is unexpected because epidemiological evidence supports a decrease in GDM risk with increased physical activity, and experimental research has shown advantages of regular exercise for glucose tolerance during pregnancy. Another trial by Ong et al. [11] discovered that 10 weeks of monitored home exercise starting at week 18 of pregnancy prevented obese pregnant women from experiencing a deterioration in their ability to tolerate glucose. In our study, we found that the supervised home exercise group was more effective than the self-exercise group and the control group. This could be due to the fact that supervised home exercise is strictly supervised and has a high compliance rate, which increases the advantages of exercise for gestational diabetes. The high compliance rate was probably also influenced by the intervention's supervised home-based setting, which allowed participants to complete the exercise in a welcoming environment.
The outcomes in this study revealed no apparent differences between the control group and the group participating in self-home exercise. Participants who did self home exercise had similar outcomes as those who received only standard care, possibly due to the lack of supervision and motivation. Another study comparing face-to-face and home exercise interventions for GDM showed that face-to-face exercise had a medium effect on postprandial blood glucose levels at 36-weeks gestation [17]. In our study, we found that a supervised home exercise program was more effective than a self home-based program and the standard care condition. We believe that the reason supervised or face-to-face exercises have been more effective than unsupervised exercises is likely due to ensuring continuity of the exercises.
In the current study, pregnant women who were diagnosed with GDM at 24–28 weeks of gestation were included. Some authors have suggested that exercises should be started in the first trimester since placental function and gene expression are programmed by the first trimester [11, 18]. However, in some studies, including ours, exercises were started after the diagnosis of GDM [7, 19]. We believe that starting exercises after the diagnosis is necessary. Moreover, aerobic or resistive exercises have mostly been preferred for improving glycemic control in the treatment of gestational diabetes [20, 21, 22]. Resistance exercise at a moderate intensity was proven to be successful by Yaping et al. [23] in lowering blood glucose levels in women with GDM. They also showed that resistance training may improve glycemic control through a mechanism related to its beneficial effects on type 2 diabetes. As both gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes are mainly characterized by hyperglycemia, structured aerobic and resistive exercises were found to be helpful in managing blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes in one study [24]. Similarly, in patients with gestational diabetes, structured combined exercises have also been shown to be effective in some studies [21, 25]. According to a systematic review, women with insulin controlled GDM who participated in a combined aerobic and resistive exercise program experienced a reduction in their glycaemic levels compared to those who received standard care [26]. We chose a structured combined exercise regimen similar to these studies to control both fasting and postprandial glucose levels, and our exercise program had a compatible effect with them.
The effects of exercise on pregnancy complications in gestational diabetes have been a topic of debate. While one study found no difference in maternal and infant health between the exercise and standard care groups [23], others have reported conflicting results [27, 28]. It is expected that as blood glucose levels improve, the risk of preterm birth and the need for cesarean delivery will decrease [29]. However, in our study, we did not observe any statistically significant differences in preterm or cesarean delivery rates between the supervised and self home exercise groups and the control group, despite differences in blood glucose levels. This may be due to the high maternal weight gain observed in all three groups in our study. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is a known risk factor for increased pregnancy complications in GDM [30].
Strength and Limitation of the Study
The study’s strength is that it is one of the few studies comparing home exercise with supervised and self. Performing the intervention in cooperation with physiotherapist and gynecologist is another strength of this study
The limitations included a lack of the intended number of participants and short-term follow-up. Also, the drug doses and daily glucose monitoring of the participants for glycemic control were not examined in this study.