(P05-07-26) Night Eating and Low DASH adherence in Women at Risk for Gestational Diabetes: MADE for DASH Formative Findings

Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 8% of pregnancies in the U.S annually, and is a well-established risk factor for maternal progression to type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study assessed diet quality, eating patterns, and food access indicators among pregnant women at elevated GDM risk to inform the design of a pilot intervention, MADE (Maternal Adherence & Dietary Empowerment) for DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).

Methods: An online survey was administered between September 2023 and August 2024 to 83 Black pregnant women with overweight/obese or current GDM. The survey assessed current dietary intake, diet quality, and barriers, and facilitators to healthy eating. Diet quality was assessed using the National Cancer Institutes’ Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ). A modified DASH adherence score was calculated based on the DSQ-reported intake frequencies for DASH aligned food groups. Analysis was conducted in R using, descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Spearman correlations.

Results: Participants frequently experienced socio-economic disadvantages: majority lacked higher education (73%), earned less than $20,000 (47%) and were single mothers (82%). Most respondents lived in neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food (78%) and roughly 40% resided in food insecure households. Most mothers self-reported that they were eating about the same as before pregnancy. Night eating frequency was common (25%), including night snacking (59%). Nearly all respondents (89%) had low DASH adherence. Higher DASH adherence scores were modestly associated with a “healthier” physical food environment (ρ=.22), while greater ease of accessing healthy food was associated to less night snacking (ρ=-.23).

Conclusions: Low DASH adherence, prevalent night eating, and constrained food environments were common among pregnant women at risk for GDM. These formative findings highlight the need for DASH-aligned interventions addressing structural and environmental barriers to healthy eating to prevent GDM and related chronic diseases.

Funding Sources: UIC/NIH BIRCWH grant [3K12AR084225-05S1] and UIC Bridge to Faculty Postdoctoral Program, and the College of Pharmacy Dept. of Pharmacy Practice Startup Funds.