Objective To investigate the factors that promote or impede physical activity participation in preg-nant women with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM),aiming to offer recommendations and evidence for optimizing blood glucose control in this patient population.Methods The purposive sampling method was used to select 12 pregnant women with GDM from July to December 2023 in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai for semi-structured in-depth interviews.Content analysis and the COM-B model were used to analyze and refine the theme.Results This study categorizes and synthesizes factors influencing physical activity during pregnancy among women with GDM into 3 facilitators:capability factors(positive attitudes towards physical activity,internalization of health consciousness,effec-tive storage of health management knowledge);opportunity factors(family support and companionship,guidance and supervision from healthcare professionals,motivational effects of virtual peer support);motivation factors(desire to en-sure fetal safety,motivation from achieving milestones,positive feedback from physical activity).Additionally,3 bar-riers were identified:capability factors(physiological burden and physical limitations of pregnancy,lack of self-effica-cy in changing past habits,insufficient cognitive abilities);opportunity factors(inadequate support from healthcare professionals,difficulty in accessing information);motivation factors(feelings of fatigue during physical activity,resis-tance to engaging in physical activity).Conclusion The participation of pregnant women with GDM in physical activities is affected by their capability,opportunities,and motivation.GDM patients exhibit a strong dependence on authoritative guidance.Through the utilization of"virtual peer support",healthcare professionals can stimulate in-trinsic motivation towards fetal well-being,enhance positive engagement and compliance with physical activities by incorporating a system of incremental achievements and positive reinforcement.This approach can ultimately assist GDM patients in achieving improved blood glucose control outcomes.

Objective To investigate the factors that promote or impede physical activity participation in preg-nant women with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM),aiming to offer recommendations and evidence for optimizing blood glucose control in this patient population.Methods The purposive sampling method was used to select 12 pregnant women with GDM from July to December 2023 in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai for semi-structured in-depth interviews.Content analysis and the COM-B model were used to analyze and refine the theme.Results This study categorizes and synthesizes factors influencing physical activity during pregnancy among women with GDM into 3 facilitators:capability factors(positive attitudes towards physical activity,internalization of health consciousness,effec-tive storage of health management knowledge);opportunity factors(family support and companionship,guidance and supervision from healthcare professionals,motivational effects of virtual peer support);motivation factors(desire to en-sure fetal safety,motivation from achieving milestones,positive feedback from physical activity).Additionally,3 bar-riers were identified:capability factors(physiological burden and physical limitations of pregnancy,lack of self-effica-cy in changing past habits,insufficient cognitive abilities);opportunity factors(inadequate support from healthcare professionals,difficulty in accessing information);motivation factors(feelings of fatigue during physical activity,resis-tance to engaging in physical activity).Conclusion The participation of pregnant women with GDM in physical activities is affected by their capability,opportunities,and motivation.GDM patients exhibit a strong dependence on authoritative guidance.Through the utilization of"virtual peer support",healthcare professionals can stimulate in-trinsic motivation towards fetal well-being,enhance positive engagement and compliance with physical activities by incorporating a system of incremental achievements and positive reinforcement.This approach can ultimately assist GDM patients in achieving improved blood glucose control outcomes.