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Observational Study
. 2019 Oct 11;19(1):349.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-019-2521-2.

Prevalence of gestational diabetes according to commonly used data sources: an observational study

Robyn L Lawrence  1 , Clare R Wall  2 , Frank H Bloomfield  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Prevalence of gestational diabetes according to commonly used data sources: an observational study

Robyn L Lawrence et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: It is well recognized that prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) varies depending on the population studied and the diagnostic criteria used. The data source used also can lead to substantial differences in the reporting of GDM prevalence but is considered less frequently. Accurate estimation of GDM prevalence is important for service planning and evaluation, policy development, and research. We aimed to determine the prevalence of GDM in a cohort of New Zealand women using a variety of data sources and to evaluate the agreement between different data sources.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the Growing Up in New Zealand Study, consisting of a cohort of 6822 pregnant women residing in a geographical area defined by three regional health boards in New Zealand. Prevalence of GDM was estimated using four commonly used data sources. Coded clinical data on diabetes status were collected from regional health boards and the Ministry of Health's National Minimum Dataset, plasma glucose results were collected from laboratories servicing the recruitment catchment area and coded according to the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes diagnostic criteria, and self-reported diabetes status collected via interview administered questionnaires. Agreement between data sources was calculated using the proportion of agreement with 95% confidence intervals for both a positive and negative diagnosis of GDM.

Results: Prevalence of GDM combining data from all sources in the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort was 6.2%. Estimates varied from 3.8 to 6.9% depending on the data source. The proportion of agreement between data sources for presence of GDM was 0.70 (95% CI 0.65, 0.75). A third of women who had a diagnosis of GDM according to medical data reported having no diabetes in interview administered questionnaires.

Conclusion: Prevalence of GDM varies considerably depending on the data source used. Health services need to be aware of this and to understand the limitations of local data sources to ensure service planning and evaluation, policy development and research are appropriate for the local prevalence. Improved communication of the diagnosis may assist women's self-management of GDM.

Keywords: Gestational diabetes mellitus; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of GDM in the Growing Up in New Zealand study according to data source. n number, DHBs District Health Boards. bGDM in laboratory data defined as any positive blood glucose result after 12 weeks’ gestation in accordance with the criteria in use for each woman’s DHB of domicile during the study period. cSelf-reported data from antenatal and postpartum data collection points combined using responses “during this pregnancy only” and “for the first time in the last 14 weeks of pregnancy” as a proxy for GDM
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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