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Gestational diabetes screening rates high among Canadian women
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Approximately 95% of pregnant Canadian women complete screenings for gestational diabetes, with screenings rates high even among women living in rural areas, according to research in Diabetes Care.
In a retrospective, population-based study of all first-time births, conducted in the province of Alberta, Canada, researchers also found that access to universal health care influenced the screening participation rate.
Lois E. Donovan, MD, of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues analyzed 86,842 births taking place between October 2008 and December 2012, using data from the Alberta Perinatal Health Program and laboratory data from the Data Integration Measurement and Reporting Unit of Alberta Health Services. Census data from 2006 were used to incorporate neighborhood information, including median household income, as a measure of socioeconomic status.
Researchers found that 94% of women (n = 81,304) underwent some form of glycemic testing during pregnancy, with 91% of women undergoing a 50-g oral glucose challnge. Most of those women (n = 80.6%) underwent screening between 24 and 28 weeks gestational age.
Screening rates were higher among urban women (91.1%) vs. rural women (86.1%), and women who did not undergo any type of glycemic screening were more likely to be younger, smoke and live in a rural area.
Among pregnant women with glucose values between 7.8 mmol/L and 10.2 mmol/L, 94.8% went on to complete the recommended second screening (75 g, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test) and did so within a median of 10 days. Based on Canadian Diabetes Association thresholds at the time of the study, the impaired glucose tolerance rate was 2.5%, while the gestational diabetes rate was 3.4%, according to researchers.
In addition, screening rates increased over time, from 92% in 2009 to 95% in 2012.
“Our screening rate was much higher than that observed in a large national sample of health care-insured pregnant women [age] 25 years or [older] in the U.S., where only 68% received some form of screening,” the researchers wrote.
“Although some women express concern about the complexity of screening and diagnosis for [gestational diabetes], the vast majority seem to tolerate the inconveniences of the screening and diagnostic tests in our system where it is universally recommended and publically funded,” the researchers wrote. “It is possible that some of the women in our study were not screened because their physicians, or the women themselves, perceived a low risk of [gestational diabetes].” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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