Do depression, anxiety, emotional intelligence, and sleep quality affect diabetes management self-efficacy in Korean women with gestational diabetes in pregnancy?: a descriptive correlational study

Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors associated with diabetes management self-efficacy in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Korea.Methods: A total of 173 pregnant women with GDM in Korea were recruited by posting announcements at two Korean online communities focusing on pregnancy and GDM. Participants completed a structured online survey from July to September 2018. Thirteen inappropriate responses were excluded and a total of 160 questionnaires were used in the final analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multiple regression with the enter method was done to identify the associations of depressive mood, anxiety, emotional intelligence, and sleep quality with diabetes management self-efficacy. The SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Corp.) was used for the analysis. Results: Respondents reported a moderately depressive mood (mean, 10.36), low to moderate anxiety (mean, 41.65), above-average emotional intelligence (mean, 78.04), moderate sleep quality (mean 42.01), and above-average diabetes management self-efficacy (mean, 52.29). The major factor associated with diabetes management self-efficacy of pregnant women with GDM was emotional intelligence (β=.51, p<.001). Other factors, in descending order of influence, were sleep quality (β=.22, p<.001) and exercise (β=.18, p=.004). Taken together, the aforementioned factors explained 34.6% (F=39.53, p<.001) of the total variance. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that to improve the diabetes management self-efficacy of pregnant women with GDM, it is necessary to develop an education program that can also enhance emotional intelligence, sleep quality, and exercise.

Abdominal skin subcutaneous fat thickness over the gestational period in Korean pregnant women: a descriptive observational study

Purpose: Although insulin is usually injected into the abdominal subcutaneous fat, in pregnancy women tend to avoid abdominal injections due to concern about fetal damage. Prior studies have been limited to only measuring skin-subcutaneous fat thickness (S-ScFT) at one site at specific pregnancy points. This study aimed to measure S-ScFT across several abdominal sites and over the gestational period in Korean pregnant women. This can identify which site would be relatively safe for subcutaneous injection during pregnancy. Methods: Healthy women over 24 weeks of pregnancy in Korea were invited to voluntarily participate in this descriptive study. For the 142 women, S-ScFT of 12 sites in the abdomen were measured by ultrasound, several times over the pregnancy. Each incidence was treated as a case and a total of 262 cases were analyzed.Results: The mean S-ScFT during pregnancy was 1.14±0.47 cm (1.25±0.54 cm at 24+0–27+6 weeks; 1.17±0.48 cm at 28+0–31+6 weeks; 1.09+0.40 cm at 32+0–35+6 weeks; and 1.06±0.47 cm at 36+0–40 weeks of pregnancy). Most S-ScFT were thicker than 10 mm. But S-ScFTs in the lateral abdomen and some sites were suboptimal (<6 mm), especially in the pre-pregnancy underweight body mass index group, who had a high rate of suboptimal thickness (27.1% overall and 33.9% in the lateral side). Conclusion: The whole abdomen seems to be appropriate for subcutaneous injection in most pregnant Korean women, with a 4 to 5-mm short needle. However, for the lateral abdomen, making the skin fold might be needed for fetal safety.

Comparison of infant mortality and associated factors between Korean and immigrant women in Korea: an 11-year longitudinal study

Purpose: This study compared infant mortality and the factors associated with infant mortality between Korean and immigrant women using vital statistics gathered by Statistics Korea.Methods: Birth and death statistics from the period between 2009 and 2019 were extracted from the census of population dynamics data of the Microdata Integrated Service, Korea. Statistical data were derived from a complete survey and infant mortality was analyzed from mortality statistics data. Descriptive statistics were used for comparison. Results: The average infant mortality rate (IMR) of Korean women was 2.7, which did not change significantly between 2009 and 2019; however, the IMR of immigrant women increased significantly in 2018 to 4.2 and subsequently decreased to 2.6 in 2019. Moreover, the age of Korean and immigrant women at the time of infant death gradually increased from 31.1 years and 25.9 years in 2009 to 32.8 years and 30.9 years in 2019, respectively. The gestational age was lower for deceased infants born to immigrant women (mean, 31.0 weeks; standard deviation [SD], 6.4; median, 30.0) compared to those born to Korean women (mean, 31.7 weeks; SD, 6.5; median, 32.0). Immigrant women (91.7%) received slightly fewer antenatal care (ANC) visits compared to Korean women (93.1%). Meanwhile, the birth weights of infants born to Korean and immigrant women showed a tendency toward gradual decline from 2009 through 2019. Conclusion: It is vital to devise a plan to lower the IMR of immigrant women in Korea. Moreover, it is necessary to explore the factors related to infant mortality among immigrant women within the context of Korean societal situation, culture, and home environment.