title: Interaction of body weight and ethnicity on risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The James Bay Cree of Canada have one of the highest recorded rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among aboriginal people worldwide; the reasons for this elevated risk remain to be documented.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to compare predictors and risk of GDM between the James Bay Cree and non-Native Canadians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Risk for GDM was compared between Cree and non-Native women by 1) adjusting statistically for differences in age, parity, pregravid weight, and smoking status (n = 402 Cree, 7718 non-Natives), and 2) matching Cree women with non-Native women for age and pregravid weight (n = 394 Cree, 788 non-Natives). Dietary and physical activity information was available for a subset of Cree women (n = 152).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age and pregravid weight were independent predictors of GDM in both Cree and non-Native women. After these predictors were controlled for, normal-weight (</=77 kg) Cree women were not at increased risk of GDM (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 0.67, 2.71) but overweight Cree women had a higher risk than did overweight non-Native women (OR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.32, 3.80).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight Cree women are at increased risk of GDM. Given the high prevalence of pregravid overweight among the Cree, the burden of GDM is higher than among non-Native Canadians.
authors.affiliation: School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghezzo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray-Donald
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008499:Medical Records; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors