Aims & Methods:
The study aimed to investigate the potential association between race/ethnicity and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) at the Liverpool Antenatal Clinic using six years of retrospective audit data. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) between 2017 and 2022 were analysed based on weight categories and ethnic backgrounds.
Results:
In 2017, 657 GDM-treated women had a mean pre-pregnancy BMI of 28.34 ± 6.95 kg/m², whereas 599 GDM-treated women in 2022 had a mean BMI of 28.51 ± 7.14 kg/m². The mean GWG was 13.34kg, 12.42kg, 10.19kg, 7.03kg and 6.09kg for the normal, overweight, class I, class II and class III obesity groups in 2017 whilst, in 2022, was 12.71kg, 10.43kg, 11.94kg, 9.43kg and 10.34kg. The mean GWG differed between weight categories, with higher BMI categories generally having lower GWG. Notably, insulin and metformin usage increased in 2022 (68.29% and 36.59% respectively) compared to 2017 (62.79% and 20.93% ) within the class III obese category.
There are significant differences in GWG in the overweight class between 2017 and 2022 (t = 2.709, p = 0.007). One-way ANOVA highlighted BMI and GWG differences among ethnic groups. Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern participants had lower BMIs than Anglo-Saxon individuals. Pacific Islanders had higher BMIs and GWG than Anglo-European participants with statistically significantly higher GWG (13.11271777 ± 12.30296756 kg, p =0.049) compared to the Anglo-Saxon participants (11.25787736± 9.557288816 kg).
Conclusion:
Women in higher obesity categories exhibited increased GWG in 2022 compared to 2017, with greater reliance on insulin and metformin. The findings that there are significant differences in BMI and GWG among various ethnic groups suggest the need for tailored interventions considering both weight categories and ethnic backgrounds to manage women with GDM so that they can achieve appropriate GWG during pregnancy.