title: Gestational diabetes mellitus among women born in South East Asia: a review of the evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to examine rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among women born in South East Asia, now residing in a developed country
  
  
  METHODS
  Established health databases including: SCOPUS, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and Maternity and Infant Care were searched for journal papers, published 2001-2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies that examined GDM among women born in South East Asia (SEA) were sought. Keywords included gestational diabetes and a search term for Asian ethnicity (Asian, Asia, race, ethnic, and ethnicity). Further searches were based on citations and references found in located articles. Of 53 retrieved publications, five met inclusion criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were extracted and organised under the following headings: GDM rates among women born in SEA; screening for GDM; and characteristics of GDM risk for SEA born women. Study quality was assessed by using the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review produced three main findings: (1) compared to combined Asian groups, GDM rates were lower among SEA women; (2) compared to other Asian sub-groups, GDM rates among SEA women were in the intermediate range; and (3) SEA born women demonstrated consistently higher rates of GDM than women from the same ethnic background who were born in countries such as the US, UK or Australia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this review, it was clear that a 'one size fits all' approach to Asian ethnicity was not useful for estimating GDM rates among SEA women. There was also considerable difference among women of SEA ethnicity born in South East Asia, compared to women of the same ethnic background born in developed countries. Future research should explore the unique characteristics of GDM risk for these women. Such information is necessary for the development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of GDM among SEA women.
authors: School of Nursing and Midwifery, St. Alban's Campus, Victoria University, PO Box 14228, Melbourne 8001, Australia. Mary.carolan@vu.edu.au
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Carolan
mesh_terms: D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Ethnicity; Gestational diabetes; Midwifery; South East Asia