Role of patient education level in predicting macrosomia among women with gestational diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of education level in predicting the risk of macrosomia among women with gestational diabetes mellitus.


METHODS
Women with gestational diabetes, who were referred to the California Diabetes and Pregnancy Sweet Success Program between June 2001 and December 2002, were included in the study. Multiple logistic regression was used estimate the risk of macrosomia, defined as a birth weight >4000 g.


RESULTS
Compared to college-educated women, high school- and middle school-educated women were 21% (relative risk (RR), 1.21; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.01-1.44) and 35% (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.09-1.70) more likely to deliver a macrosomic infant, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Gestational diabetics with a lower level of educational attainment appear to have an increased risk of macrosomia. Future studies are necessary to determine whether this finding reflects a variation in adherence to recommended treatments by education/literacy level, or if it is a surrogate marker for intrinsic, biological differences or differences in lifestyle.
Chung
J H
JH
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA, USA. judithc@uci.edu
Voss
K J
KJ
Caughey
A B
AB
Wing
D A
DA
Henderson
E J D
EJ
Major
C A
CA
D048909:Diabetes Complications; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment