Participant Information Leaflet V3.0 07Aug2026
Improving Support for Family Health After Gestational Diabetes
This study is part of a PhD project that aims to improve support for women with gestational diabetes. In this study, we will be talking to parents about their experiences of managing healthy eating and exercise in the postnatal period.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or would like to speak with a researcher, please contact us - ISAGD@ims.cam.ac.uk
Why are we doing this study?
We know that the postnatal period is a challenging time to establish healthy habits around diet and exercise, so it is essential to speak with families to discover what might help make this process easier.
We want to hear from parents who have lived experience of what it’s like to go through a pregnancy with gestational diabetes, to learn about the challenges you faced after your baby was born. This will help us to develop support for families who experience a pregnancy affected by gestational diabetes in the future.
What’s involved?
We will be doing interviews with parents with lived experience of gestational diabetes. Interviews will last approximately 60 minutes. We will ask you questions about your family’s experiences of being diagnosed with gestational diabetes and the challenges of managing the family diet and being active in the postnatal period.
Why are you being asked to take part?
We are looking for around 15 mothers who experienced gestational diabetes in a pregnancy within the last 2 years, along with their partners (if you have one).
You can take part if you are both over the age of 18 and are happy to discuss your family diet and exercise with a researcher.
We encourage participation from English-speaking families of all structures and backgrounds.
What should you expect if you take part?
If you and your partner, if you have one, decide to participate, you will be asked to:
Fill in an online questionnaire about yourself
Complete a consent form to confirm you are happy to take part, and that you understand how your information will be used and looked after.
Attend one online interview using Microsoft Teams.
You will share your experiences of managing the family diet and staying active during the postnatal period. The things that have made this more difficult, and anything that helped to make this easier. Please note that the interviews will be recorded to ensure accurate data collection.
If too many people sign up, it won’t be possible for everyone to take part in the interviews. When we receive your ‘About you’ questionnaire, we will select up to 15 couples to ensure a diverse mix of individuals with different backgrounds.
Participant payments
As a thank you for your time, you will receive a £25 shopping voucher after completing the interview. Please note that vouchers may be sent up to 2 weeks after the interview.
Unfortunately, if you are not invited to take part in the interview, you will not receive the voucher.
Protecting your data (GDPR)
In this research study we will use information from you. We will only use information that we need for the research study. We will let very few people know your name or contact details, and only if they really need it for this study.
Everyone involved in this study will keep your data safe and secure. We will also follow all privacy rules. At the end of the study we will save some of the data in case we need to check it AND/OR for future research. We will make sure no-one can work out who you are from the reports we write.
The Additional Participant Information below tells you more about this.
How to take part
The interviews will take place and be recorded on Microsoft Teams, or if that isn’t possible, by telephone and recorded on a dictaphone. You will be able to take part at home and will need to arrange to take turns with your partner (if you have one) so that each of you is available to speak individually without distractions. The two interviews can be organised at separate times to make this easier for you. If your baby cries, we will pause the interview and, if necessary, reschedule it for another time.
Interviews will last around 60 minutes and will be held between August and September 2026.
We will select interested volunteers based on their survey responses to make sure we have a diverse group of participants - for example different ages, ethnicity and employment statuses. If you are selected to take part in the interviews, the research team will contact you with a link to the online booking system, where you can select a suitable date and time for the interview.
A member of the research team will confirm your booking and provide details on how to join the interview online.
You will be notified by email if you aren’t selected to take part.
Deciding whether or not to take part
You are free to decide whether or not to take part in this study.
You are free to decide whether or not to take part in this study.
Risks and benefits
In the interviews, we will discuss your gestational diabetes diagnosis and any worries or challenges you have experienced in the postnatal period that relate to managing the family diet and being active. This may trigger certain feelings, so if it is something that would make you feel uncomfortable, please consider carefully whether you still wish to participate.
If you decide to share your experiences with the researchers in this study, you will help them develop support for women with gestational diabetes in the future, which will improve NHS care and women’s long-term health.
If you choose to participate, please proceed to the online consent form and ‘about you’ questionnaire.
If you prefer not to participate, you don’t need to take any action. You will not be contacted further.
If you have any questions or would like more information before deciding, please contact -ISAGD@ims.cam.ac.uk
Is there anything else that I should know?
We hope that you find taking part and sharing your thoughts enjoyable. Your thoughts and experience of early parenthood will be handled with respect and care.
You are free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason by contacting Louise Cooper at ISAGD@ims.cam.ac.uk
In the event that safeguarding issues emerge during the interview, confidentiality may need to be broken.
During the conduct of the study, the research team will follow the university's policy on safeguarding children and Adults at risk (https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/policies-procedures/children-and-adults-risk-safeguarding-policy).
If you have any concerns during the study or wish to make a complaint you can contact Professor A Ahern at ISAGD@ims.cam.ac.uk
Additional Participant Information
What will happen to the information about me that is collected during the study?
The interviews will be audio-recorded using Microsoft Teams or a dictaphone; the recording will be sent to a professional transcription team to be typed up. The transcription team will remove your name from the typed-up transcript, and after this, you will only be identified by an anonymised code. Information transferred between the research team and the transcription team will be subject to the same high standard of data security and confidentiality as all of our research data. Apart from the transcription team, no one will have access to the recording except members of the research team at the University of Cambridge. Anonymised transcripts and data you provide may be used in future research.
All information that is collected about you during the course of this research will be kept strictly confidential. With your permission, IMS Epidemiology, University of Cambridge, will store information about you anonymously and will have your name and address removed so that you cannot be identified. It will not be used or made available to anyone for any purpose other than for research. Codes connecting your individual identity to the stored data records will be kept in a separate location.
The contact information you provide, such as email address and phone number(s), will be used by the research team to keep you informed about your participation in the study.
The University of Cambridge is the Sponsor for this study, based in the United Kingdom. We will use the information you provide to undertake this study, and the University of Cambridge will act as the data controller for this study. The University of Cambridge will keep identifiable information about you for 10 years after the study has finished.
Your rights to access, change, or move your information are limited, as we need to manage your information in specific ways to ensure the research is reliable and accurate. If you withdraw from the study, we will retain the information we have already collected about you. To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personally-identifiable information possible.
What will happen to the results of the research?
When the research is completed, the results of the interviews will be published in an academic journal that is free to everyone so that anyone can see the results. We may also present the results at scientific meetings and to interested stakeholders. When the research is published or presented, your identity, affiliations and personal details will be kept strictly confidential. No information that could identify you, like your name, will be published in any report about this study. We will also send you a summary of the results of the study.
Who is organising and funding the research?
This research is organised by IMS Epidemiology, part of the University of Cambridge.
This study is funded by a UKRI Medical Research Council PhD studentship
Adequate provision is made for insurance or indemnity to cover liabilities which may arise in relation to the design, management and conduct of the research project.
Who has reviewed the study?
This research has been reviewed by an independent group, known as a Research Ethics Committee, to ensure your safety, rights, well-being, and dignity are protected. The research has been given a favourable opinion by the REC, reference: 369059
How will we use information about you?
We will need to use information from you for this research project.
This information will include your name, contact details, and postcode. People will use this information to conduct research or check your records to make sure that the research is being done properly.
People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your data will have a code number instead.
The University of Cambridge is the sponsor of this research.
The University of Cambridge is responsible for looking after your information. We will share your information related to this research project with the following types of organisations:
NHS organisations
Academic
We will keep all information about you safe and secure by:
Making sure your identity is not linked to the data collected.
You will be given a unique code, which will be used to label your data instead of your name.
Any personally identifiable information, like your name, will be kept on a secure computer network, with multiple levels of security. It will not be shared with anyone outside of the research team without your permission. The link between your name and your unique code will also be stored here and only the research team will have access.
International transfers
Your data will not be shared outside the UK.
How will we use information about you after the study ends?
Once we have finished the study, we will keep some of the data so we can check the results. We will write our reports in a way that no one can work out that you took part in the study.
We will keep your study data for a maximum of 10 years. The study team may agree to share the de-identified data with other researchers for the purposes of further research. The study team will review applications for access and seek approval from an ethics committee, giving permission and support where appropriate. This is known as managed access. The study data will then be fully anonymised and securely archived or destroyed.
What are your choices about how your information is used?
You can stop being part of the study at any time, without giving a reason, but we will keep information about you that we already have
You have the right to ask us to access, remove, change or delete data we hold about you for the purposes of the study. You also have the right to object to our processing of your data. We may not always be able to do this if it means we cannot use your data for the research. If so, we will tell you why we cannot do this.
Where can you find out more about how your information is used?
You can find out more about how we use your information:
by asking one of the research team
by sending an email to ISAGD@ims.cam.ac.uk
On the How we use your personal information (for medical research participants) page on the University website.
Helpful resources
We know that life as a new parent has many challenges. If you need any support as a new parent, please contact your GP, health visitor or talk to someone you trust. Please find the link to some helpful resources below:
Diabetes support Diabetes UK
Post-natal Depression Support and guidance
PANDA PND Awareness and Support: https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/
If you or someone else is experiencing a health emergency or are unable to keep safe
In the event of a life-threatening emergency: call 999
If you’re not sure if you need to call 999: call 111
NHS 111 can check your symptoms and tell you what to do
Check your symptoms on 111 online: https://111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-symptoms
Crisis Helpline SOS Crisis Mental Health Helpline: 0808 115 1505: 24/7 access
Thank you for taking the time to read this information and for considering taking part in this study. If you would like to sign up and register your interest, please proceed to the consent form
