title: Disparities in the risk of gestational diabetes by race-ethnicity and country of birth.
abstract: Little information exists on the association between maternal country of birth and risk of gestational diabetes (GDM). We examined within each race-ethnicity group whether the risk of GDM differs between women born inside and outside the US. The study was a cohort study of 216 089 women who delivered an infant between 1995 and 2004 with plasma glucose data from the screening 50-g glucose challenge test and the diagnostic 100-g, 3-h oral glucose tolerance test. The age-adjusted prevalence of GDM varied by race-ethnicity and was lowest for non-Hispanic white (4.1%) and highest among Asian Indians (11.1%). In multivariable models, being born outside of the US was associated with an increased risk of GDM among black, Asian Indian, Filipina, Pacific Islanders, Chinese, Mexicans and non-Hispanic white women, whereas, Japanese and Korean foreign-born women had a decreased risk of GDM. Clinicians should be aware that among certain race-ethnicity groups women born outside the US may be at increased risk of GDM and may warrant special preventive and culturally sensitive care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA. monique.m.hedderson@kp.org
authors.forename: Monique M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hedderson
authors.forename: Jeanne A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Darbinian
authors.forename: Assiamira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000208:ethnology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000208:ethnology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult