Urbanisation in Ghana could be negatively impacting the state of food security, especially in economically vulnerable groups. Food supply, safety, and quality are all aspects of food security which could be impacted. We conducted a scoping literature review to understand the nature and magnitude of evidence available on the urban food security situation in Ghana. A literature search was conducted in Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Scopus, Web of Science, Africa Wide Information and Google Scholar to identify relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature. 45 studies, mainly cross-sectional surveys/food samples analysis, met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were concentrated in the Greater Accra Region (n = 24). Most studies focused on food safety and quality (n = 31). Studies on supply and stability were, however, scarce. Qualitative research methods were uncommon in the included studies. The existing literature on food security are concentrated in two regions: The Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. Future studies exploring food security in urban Ghana should focus on exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of food insecurity and food stability by urban-dwellers using qualitative methods. The evidence suggesting that the safety/quality of foods sold in Ghanaian markets is poor should be a concern to consumers and policy makers.

Aims: The implementation of type 2 diabetes prevention after gestational diabetes (GDM) is poor despite research evidence on efficacy. This is limited by the lack of knowledge of the priorities in real‐world settings from the perspectives of local clinicians and women with lived experiences, particularly those from underserved populations. We report here a global consensus on the values, principles, and research priorities for the implementation of type 2 diabetes prevention in individuals after gestational diabetes (GDM), from the perspectives of clinicians and women from Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Europe.Methods: A team of health professionals and researchers from five continents formed the Cardiometabolic Health Implementation Research in Postpartum individuals (CHIRP) team. The CHIRP team undertook a priority setting process using the Modified Delphi and Nominal Group Technique. Health professionals and women with a lived experience of GDM from five continents were invited to participate. Values, principles, and research priorities were voted on by all participants.Results: A total of 100 consumers and health professionals from 11 countries across the five continents participated in the consensus process. The top‐ranked values and principles were ‘universal access’, ‘evidence‐based’, and ‘equity‐driven’. The top‐ranked research priorities were ‘stress and mental well‐being’, ‘information on exercise and diet’, ‘lactation and breastfeeding’, ‘exercise after childbirth’, and ‘physical environment for healthy eating’.Conclusions: Addressing mental wellbeing through strategies that are universally accessible, evidence‐based, and equity‐driven will increase the success of the real‐world implementation and knowledge translation of type 2 diabetes prevention in women with a history of GDM in global settings.

Aim: The risk of Type 2 Diabetes is 10 times higher after a pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes. Physical activity can independently reduce this risk, yet engagement with physical activity remains low after Gestational Diabetes. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to the uptake of physical activity after Gestational Diabetes in the United Kingdom, using a socio‐ecological approach.Methods: The paper was written following the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Patient and Public Involvement contributed to the study's conceptualisation and design. Participants were recruited through an audit of Gestational Diabetes cases at a local Teaching Hospital in 2020. Twelve participants took part in semi‐structured one‐to‐one interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate themes in iterative rounds of refinement. The final themes were then organised using the socio‐ecological model.Results: Participants were all over 31 years old, predominantly self‐identified as White British and were all in employment but were evenly spread across UK‐based deprivation deciles. Ten themes were generated and organised according to the four levels of the socio‐ecological model: intrapersonal (beliefs about activity, recovering from birth), social (health care professionals, family and partner, role as a mother), organisational (access and cost, environment, childcare and work) and community (connecting women with recent Gestational Diabetes).Conclusions: Many of the amenable barriers and facilitators to physical activity were beyond the intrapersonal level, based on higher levels of the socio‐ecological model (social, organisational and community). Multi‐level interventions are needed to effectively address all barriers.

Objectives: Gestational diabetes commonly occurs during pregnancy and increases lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes following pregnancy. Engaging in physical activity postnatally can reduce this subsequent risk. Interventions aiming to increase physical activity after gestational diabetes may not address the wide range of post-pregnancy barriers. A socio-ecological approach highlights the need to include multi-level factors such as social, community and organisational factors. The aim of the review was to map intervention components to prevent type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes using the socio-ecological model as a framework and investigate how physical activity changes align with different intervention components utilised. Methods: Eligible studies included any study type within 5 years of a gestational diabetes diagnosis and targeted physical activity. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, and Scopus was conducted in October 2022. Results were categorised based on whether findings demonstrated no increases, non-statistically significant increases or statistically significant increases in physical activity. Results: Forty-eight studies were included (37 different interventions). Thirty-eight studies were assessed as “adequate” quality, only two studies were “good” quality, and the remaining were limited quality. Mixed physical activity outcomes were observed across components used at the intrapersonal level, with components across other levels of the socio-ecological model showing more increases in physical activity. Intervention components within the social and organisational levels, for example childcare provision, providing group-based sessions and offering remote delivery, were more often present in interventions with physical activity increases. Conclusions for Practice: Future interventions targeting physical activity after gestational diabetes should aim to include social and organisational-level components in their intervention design. This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021272044).

Physical activity can reduce risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) after gestational diabetes. Understanding barriers and facilitators to physical activity, using a socio-ecological approach, could better direct multi-level interventions. The present review aimed to synthesise barriers and facilitators to physical activity, and to develop an understanding of where, across the socio-ecological model, these factors exist and/or are interrelated. Eligible studies included women with a history of gestational diabetes and a discussion around physical activity. A systematic search of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete and Scopus was conducted in October 2022. Barriers and facilitators to physical activity were thematically analysed and themes organised according to the socio-ecological model. Twenty-nine studies were included. Barriers pertained to leisure time physical activity, while other types of activity including housework and transport were overlooked, despite being routine. Partner and family support were vital for engagement with activity, whether emotional support or provision of childcare. Most barriers and facilitators at the social and organisational levels were interrelated with those at the individual level. These findings suggest that multi-level physical activity interventions after gestational diabetes could be most effective.

Aim: Physical activity is an important behaviour for managing the ten times increased risk of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes. Previous studies exploring physical activity promotion in healthcare focus on general practitioners but have not explored the gestational diabetes pathway. Therefore, this paper explores the barriers to and suggestions for, activity promotion along the gestational diabetes healthcare pathway.Methods: The paper was written in accordance with the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Patient and Public Involvement with women who had lived experiences of gestational diabetes informed purposeful sampling by identifying which healthcare professional roles should be targeted in participant recruitment. Participants were recruited through word‐of‐mouth, that is, email and connections with local healthcare service leads. Twelve participants took part in semi‐structured one‐to‐one interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results: Participants included a Public Health Midwife (n = 1), Diabetes Midwifes (n = 3), Diabetes Dietitian (n = 1), Diabetes Consultants (n = 2), Diabetes Specialist Nurse (n = 1), general practitioners (n = 2), Practice nurse (n = 1) and a Dietitian from the UK National Diabetes Prevention Program (n = 1). Six themes were generated: ‘management of gestational diabetes takes precedent’, ‘poor continuity of care’, ‘lack of capacity to promote PA’, ‘beliefs about the acceptability of PA promotion’, ‘resources to support conversations about PA’ and ‘adapting healthcare services for women post‐gestational diabetes’.Conclusions: During pregnancy messaging around physical activity is consistent, yet this is specific for managing gestational diabetes and is not followed through postnatally. Improvements in continuity of care are necessary, in addition to ensuring the availability and links with wider exercise and activity schemes.