Socioeconomic, environmental and lifestyle factors associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: A matched case-control study in Beijing, China

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common health problem during pregnancy and its prevalence is increasing globally, especially in China. The aim of this study was to investigate socioeconomic, environmental and lifestyle factors associated with GDM in Chinese women. A matched pair case-control study was conducted with 276 GDM women and 276 non-GDM women in two hospitals in Beijing, China. Matched factors include age and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). GDM subjects were defined based on the International Association of Diabetes Study Group criteria for GDM. A conditional logistic regression model with backward stepwise selection was performed to predict the odds ratio (OR) for associated factors of GDM. The analyses of data show that passive smoking at home (OR = 1.52, p = 0.027), passive smoking in the workplace (OR = 1.71, p = 0.01), and family history of diabetes in first degree relatives (OR = 3.07, p = 0.004), were significant factors associated with GDM in Chinese women. These findings may be utilized as suggestions to decrease the incidence of GDM in Chinese women by improving the national tobacco control policy and introducing public health interventions to focus on the social environment of pregnant women in China.

Genetic predisposition to gestational glucose metabolism and gestational diabetes mellitus risk in a Chinese population

“…First, considerable controversies remain regarding the timing of GDM screening and diagnostic thresholds; independent studies with other diagnostic criteria should be performed to validate the findings of this study. Second, recent studies show that lifestyle is an important determinant of GDM development . Unfortunately, information regarding lifestyle factors was not collected in this study.…”

“…Second, recent studies show that lifestyle is an important determinant of GDM development. 33,34 Unfortunately, information regarding lifestyle factors was not collected in this study. Third, the genotype-phenotype associations were based on a public database, and further confirmatory studies with detailed functional experiments are warranted to uncover the mechanisms.…”

A mid‑pregnancy risk prediction model for gestational diabetes mellitus based on the maternal status in combination with ultrasound and serological findings

“…In recent years, advanced etiological studies have revealed GDM to be a multifactorial pregnancy disease which can be induced by genetic factors, insulin resistance (IR), inflammation and adipokine involvement (17). In a case-controlled study reporting GDM incidence, the prevalence of GDM in pregnant Chinese women was between 6.8-10.4%, with increased prevalence in the Beijing area at 19.7% (18).…”

Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with gestational diabetes mellitus-a case control study in Wuhan, China

“…First, the level ofplasma vitamin D was not measured in all subjects. Second, the information of environmental and lifestyle factors was lacked, which had been reported recently to be important determinants of GDM development [36,37] . Finally, there were some potential biases that came from the cross-sectional nature of the case-control study.…”