Migrant Middle Eastern women with gestational diabetes seven years after delivery - positive long-term development of beliefs about health and illness shown in follow-up interviews.

Health meant freedom from illness, feeling well and living long to be able to care for the children. The present situation was described either positively, changing to a healthier lifestyle, or negatively, with worries about being affected by type 2 diabetes. Beliefs changed among the majority of women, leading to a healthier lifestyle, and they looked positively back at the time when diagnosed and their reactions to it. With few exceptions, they were confident of being aware of future health risks and felt responsible for their own and their children's health/lifestyle. None except those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had been in contact with healthcare since the last follow-up a year after delivery. Yet, they still would like and need a healthcare model delivering more information, particularly on developing a healthy lifestyle for children, and with regular check-ups also after the first year after delivery.