Ethnic differences in physical activity participation when managing gestational diabetes mellitus: a mixed-methods study comparing ethnic Chinese migrants and Australian women

Figures & data

Table 1. Examples of questions asked in the interview.

Question topics	Sample questions
PA during pregnancy	What do you think about doing PA during pregnancy?
	What PA means to you?
GDM experiences	What is its impact on the rest of your daily activities, lifestyle, PA, work, home and family life?
PA in GDM management	How do you feel about roles of PA in GDM management?
Motivators and barriers	What motivates or prevents you from doing PA?
	What kind of things have or have not helped you during your pregnancy?
GDM management	How confident are you in blood glucose management?
	How healthcare could be better improved to assist you with managing GDM?

GDM: gestational diabetes mellitus; PA: physical activity.

Table 2. Maternal characteristics of participants, by ethnicity.

	In-depth interview data		PA data
	Ethnic Chinese (n = 42)	Caucasian (n = 30)	Ethnic Chinese (n = 44)	Caucasian (n = 39)
Age, years	31.9 ± 3.7	33.3 ± 4.8	32.0 ± 3.6	33.3 ± 4.7
Pre-pregnancy BMI, kg/m^2	21.5 ± 2.5	29.9 ± 7.1	21.5 ± 2.5	29.7 ± 7.0
Gestational age, weeks	31.1 ± 3.6	30.1 ± 5.1	30.8 ± 4.1	31.1 ± 4.9
Primiparous, n (%)	25 (59.5)	12 (40.0)	26 (59.1)	15 (38.5)
Country of birth, n (%)
China	31 (73.8)	0 (0.0)	33 (75.0)	0 (0.0)
Taiwan	1 (2.4)	0 (0.0)	1 (2.3)	0 (0.0)
Singapore	1 (2.4)	0 (0.0)	1 (2.3)	0 (0.0)
Malaysia	5 (11.9)	0 (0.0)	5 (11.4)	0 (0.0)
Vietnam	1 (2.4)	0 (0.0)	1 (2.3)	0 (0.0)
Australia	3 (7.1)	30 (100)	3 (6.8)	39 (100)
Husband ethnicity, n (%)
Chinese	28 (66.7)	0 (0.0)	29 (65.9)	0 (0.0)
Other Asian	7 (16.7)	0 (0.0)	7 (15.9)	0 (0.0)
Non-Asian	7 (16.7)	30 (100)	8 (18.2)	39 (100.0)
Marital status, n (%)
Married	36 (85.7)	21 (70.0)	38 (86.4)	25 (64.1)
De-facto	6 (14.3)	8 (26.7)	6 (13.6)	13 (33.3)
Single	0 (0.0)	1 (3.3)	0 (0)	1 (2.6)
Level of education, n (%)
High School	3 (7.1)	6 (20.0)	3 (6.8)	8 (20.5)
Diploma	6 (14.3)	10 (33.3)	6 (13.6)	13 (33.3)
Bachelor	23 (54.8)	11 (36.7)	25 (56.8)	13 (33.3)
Postgraduate	10 (23.8)	3 (10.0)	10 (22.7)	5 (12.8)
Occupation, n (%)
Housewife	5 (11.9)	3 (10.0)	5 (11.4)	5 (12.8)
On maternity leave	4 (9.5)	4 (13.3)	4 (9.1)	4 (10.3)
Self-employed	5 (11.9)	0 (0.0)	5 (11.4)	1 (2.6)
Desk based work	12 (28.6)	9 (30.0)	13 (29.5)	11 (28.2)
Non sedentary work	12 (28.6)	10 (33.3)	13 (29.5)	13 (33.3)
Health professional	4 (9.5)	4 (13.3)	4 (9.1)	5 (12.8)
Insulin use, n (%)	7 (16.7)	12 (40.0)	7 (15.9)	17 (43.6)
Language of interview conducted, n (%)
English	13 (31.0)	30 (100)	15 (34.1)	39 (100)
Mandarin	22 (52.4)	–	22 (50.0)	–
Cantonese	7 (16.7)	–	7 (15.9)	–

BMI: Body mass index.

Table 3. Ethnic differences in physical activity using two assessment tools.

	Ethnic Chinese (n = 44)	Caucasian (n = 39)	P-value
Working status while completing questionnaire and using pedometer:
Working, n (%)	32 (72.7)	29 (74.4)	0.867
Desk based work, n (%)	16 (50.0)	12 (41.4)	0.500
Pregnancy PA questionnaire, MET hours per week:
Total activity:	202.2 ± 82.8	291.4 ± 109.8	0.001*
Intensity of PA
Sedentary	65.6 ± 35.1	76.6 ± 40.8	0.189
Light-intensity	77.4 [50.1, 104.7]	101.7 [69.3, 134.1]	0.009*
Moderate-intensity	37.3 [17.1, 57.6]	74.5 [15.2, 133.9]	0.001*
Vigorous-intensity	0 [0, 0]	0 [−0.8, 0.8]	0.155
Type of PA
Household/caregiving	75.0 [41.7, 108.3]	86.1 [25.7, 146.5]	0.135
Occupational	59.9 [17.3, 102.4]	86.5 [16.2, 156.7]	0.017*
Sport or exercise	9.5 [4.6, 14.4]	9.1 [2.4, 15.9]	0.556
Pedometer, steps per week: (From 21 Ethnic Chinese and 17 Caucasian)
Number of steps	36599.2 ± 15519.1	47036.1 ± 16868.2	0.055

MET: metabolic equivalent of task.

*Statistically different physical activity between ethnic groups.