In a cohort of women with gestational diabetes, the participation rate in
gestational diabetes education programs was highest for those with Hispanic ethnicity, those
who had at least a bachelor’s degree and those who had gestational
diabetes during a prior pregnancy, according to findings presented at
the American Association of
Diabetes Educators annual meeting.
“Optimal management of gestational diabetes is critical to ensure
not just successful pregnancy outcomes, but also the long-term health
of the mother and her baby,”
Harsimran Singh, PhD, health psychologist and clinical research scientist at the
Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California,
told Endocrine Today. “Unfortunately, however, we know that participation
in gestational diabetes-related education and care programs is less than
ideal. It is therefore essential to understand factors that promote or
hinder in such educational programs so that we can close gaps in care
and improve both immediate and long-term outcomes.”
Singh and colleagues conducted a retrospective review with 835 women with
gestational diabetes who received a recommendation to attend gestational
diabetes education courses. Among the cohort, 647 women participated in
the courses, and 188 did not. The researchers compared age, ethnicity,
gestational diabetes history and education levels between the two groups.
The OR for educational course participation was more than tripled for women
with Hispanic ethnicity compared with white women (OR = 3.47; 95% CI,
1.76-6.85). Hispanic women made up 23.3% of course participants and 16.2%
of nonparticipants (P = .003).
“I was delighted that our Hispanic moms seem to be leading the patient
group in terms of their engagement in gestational diabetes education and
support services. This matters because they are the fastest-growing minority
group in the United States and report an increasing prevalence of gestational
diabetes,” Singh said. “Research studies generally report
that minority groups are less engaged in health care due to a variety
of factors and, hence, present with less than ideal outcomes. However,
based on our current findings, we feel hopeful about engagement in care
from our minority moms with gestational diabetes.”
Women with at least a bachelor’s degree also were more likely to
participate vs. those with less than a college education (OR = 2.79; 95%
CI, 1.57-4.97). In fact, 75.6% of the women who participated in the courses
had at least a bachelor’s degree vs. 30.9% of nonparticipants (P
< .001). Participation was higher for women who had prior gestational
diabetes vs. women who did not (OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 0.56-2.17). Women with
such a history made up 15.3% of the participant group vs. 6.4% of nonparticipants
(P < .001).
“We can improve engagement in such programs by developing strong
public health campaigns around gestational diabetes and its immediate-
and long-term risks and management strategies,” Singh said. “If
we can work toward improving awareness around gestational diabetes in
the public and encourage them to participate in their care early on, we
stand a better chance of identifying high risk patients as well as managing
it more effectively.” – by Phil Neuffer