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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.

Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1643107

This article is part of the Research TopicRamadan Intermittent Fasting Model as a Catalyst for Healthy Aging and Disease MitigationView all articles

Diabetes Management During and After Ramadan among Pregnant Women in Saudi Arabia: Exploring Self-efficacy, Self-care, and Glycemic Control

Provisionally accepted
Omar  Mohammed AlamriOmar Mohammed Alamri1António  RaposoAntónio Raposo2*Ayoub  Ali AlshaikhAyoub Ali Alshaikh3Hani  A. AlfheeaidHani A. Alfheeaid4Ali  Mohammed AlamriAli Mohammed Alamri5Mohammed  Abdullah AlasmriMohammed Abdullah Alasmri3Nada  Mohammed AlwubayranNada Mohammed Alwubayran1Ahmed  Khaled ShukriAhmed Khaled Shukri6Thamer  AlslamahThamer Alslamah4Najla  A. AlbaridiNajla A. Albaridi7Md Faruque  AhmadMd Faruque Ahmad8Abdullah  Y. OtayfAbdullah Y. Otayf8Ariana  SaraivaAriana Saraiva9Najim  Z. AlshahraniNajim Z. Alshahrani6*
  • 1Abha Maternity and Children Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • 2CBIOS, Universidade Lusófona Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal
  • 3King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • 4Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
  • 5Aseer Health Cluster, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • 6University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • 7Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 8Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
  • 9Universidade Lusofona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Fasting during Ramadan poses distinct challenges for individuals with diabetes, especially pregnant women, due to increased metabolic demands and the heightened risk of hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and dehydration. Although medical guidelines often advise against fasting in this group, many women still choose to observe the fast. This study aims to explore diabetes self-efficacy and self-care behaviors during and after Ramadan among pregnant women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during and after Ramadan 2025 at Abha Maternity Hospital in Aseer region in Saudi Arabia. Pregnant women with gestational or pre-existing diabetes were recruited. Data were collected using validated Arabic versions of the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities questionnaire. Paired t-tests and correlation analyses were used to examine changes and relationships. Results: A total of 162 pregnant women with diabetes participated in this study. Self-efficacy scores remained stable during and after Ramadan (mean 4.8 vs. 4.9, p = 0.2), while self-care scores declined significantly post-Ramadan (32.5 to 29.8, p = 0.001). HbA1c distribution shifted slightly, with fewer participants in the <5.7% range after Ramadan and more in the 5.7-6.4% range. Most managed diabetes using oral drugs with diet and exercise (42%). Medical education was linked to higher self-care scores (p < 0.001), while trial fasting improved selfefficacy (p = 0.001). Perceived glycemic control improved post-Ramadan (difficulty decreased from 72.8% to 65.4%, p = 0.001). Hypoglycemia caused 26.5% of fast-breaking episodes, though "other reasons" were more common. Older age and higher pregnancy order correlated with lower self-care and self-efficacy, while education and perceived health showed positive correlation. Conclusion: This study underscores the need for culturally sensitive, pregnancy-specific interventions to support safe fasting. Sustained education, individualized care, and preparation before Ramadan were linked to better outcomes, highlighting the importance of ongoing support beyond the fasting period for optimal diabetes management.

Keywords: diabetes management, GDM, self-care, self-efficacy, Pregnant Women, ramadan

Received: 08 Jun 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Alamri, Raposo, Alshaikh, Alfheeaid, Alamri, Alasmri, Alwubayran, Shukri, Alslamah, Albaridi, Ahmad, Otayf, Saraiva and Alshahrani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
António Raposo, CBIOS, Universidade Lusófona Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal
Najim Z. Alshahrani, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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