The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is increasing among African-American women of childbearing age. These conditions are associated with perinatal complications and increased risk of subsequent diabetes for both mother and child. Prenatal care is an opportunity for detection and early intervention to reduce these risks. Nonetheless, maternal obesity and diabetes have received little attention in perinatal research or health care policies and programs concerned with African-Americans. This study examined the prevalence of diabetes during pregnancy, prenatal care, and maternal and newborn outcomes in a 1995-1998 cohort of 2618 African American mother-infant pairs in Detroit. The overall prevalence of diabetes during pregnancy was 4.3%, including 0.7% with pre-gestational diabetes and 3.6% with gestational diabetes. In a sample of 696 women from this cohort, the mean BMI was 28.7 kg/m2, including 15.9% classified as overweight and 40.3% classified as obese according to IOM criteria. Compared to women with normal glucose screens, women with diabetes were significantly older, heavier (mean BMI: 31.7 kg/m2); much more likely to have pregnancy artificially ended by induction or cesarean section (62.8%); twice as likely to have a preterm delivery (23.0%) and had significantly shorter gestational lengths (37.6 weeks). Gestational age-adjusted mean birth weight and the percentage of LGA infants were significantly higher among infants of diabetic mothers (3446g; 17.7%) than among infants of mothers with normal screens (3237g; 8.01%). The content of prenatal care in this cohort, and program and policy implications, including the importance of postpartum care and risk reduction, will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. Describe the prevalence of diabetes in a cohort of pregnant African-American women. 2. Compare sociodemographic and health status characteristics, obstetric and birth weight outcomes between diabetic and non-diabetic, and treated and untreated women in the cohort. 3. Discuss prenatal care program and policy implications as they relate to the health needs of African-American women of childbearing age
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.