Marzieh Davoodi - Medical Student, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
Zahra Sepehri - Medical Student, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
Meysam Ganjali - Medical Student, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
Somayeh Bagheri - Instructor, Faculty Member, Faculty of Health, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes is actually carbohydrates intolerance that is diagnosed during pregnancy for the first time. The factors which increase the risk of gestational diabetes include age of above 25, history of this disease in first-degree relatives, history of gestational diabetes or infant macrosomia, disorders on the results of previous pregnancies, glycosuria, hypertension, pregnancy times more than 5, and obesity. Awareness and attitude of women towards gestational diabetes could be very helpful and effective in prevention and early diagnosis of this disease. In fact, the present study is a primary step towards improving the health of pregnant women. Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out on 300 pregnant women referred to health centers during 2014. In order to collect the required data and information, a questionnaire, including items on background, awareness, attitude, and performance, was handed out among the subjects. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS 18 software. Results: Among the mothers participated in this study, 175 showed moderate awareness, 206 had a good attitude, and 168 enjoyed a good performance. Most pregnant women, with any level of education, had a good attitude towards gestational diabetes, more significantly in women with higher education than in those with a degree under high school diploma. Most subjects, with any sources of information, showed a good attitude which was higher in mothers who used books, magazines, and newspapers compare to those who used other sources of information. Most subjects did not have a positive attitude towards the impact of increased number of pregnancy on gestational diabetes. Pregnant women at any time of pregnancy period showed a good performance and attitude towards gestational diabetes, more significantly in the third three months. Conclusion: Development of training programs for prenatal care with special emphasis on gestational diabetes could lead to a reduction or elimination of risky pregnancies, promotion of the health of mothers and newborns, and finally improvement of society health status. The present study showed that there is a direct relationship between attitude and awareness of individuals and their performance. This means that the higher the awareness and more positive the attitude of individuals, the better their performance

Attitude, Function, Gestational diabetes, Knowledge