PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN SOUTHERN IRAN

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus has recently become a threatening public health issue that seriously affects the health of mother and her offspring. Conflicting results have been reported about the contributing factors of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Objective: We assessed the prevalence and associated factors of gestational diabetes mellitus among pregnant women received antenatal care at health centers in Yasuj city, the Southwest of Iran.
Material and methods: In this cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2021 and December 2022, we randomly selected 950 pregnant women attending all antenatal care clinics in Yasuj. The fasting plasma glucose test was used to screen and diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus. A structured questionnaire was devised to collect the necessary data. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis and crud odds ratio/adjusted odds ratio were utilized to identify gestational diabetes mellitus associated factors.
Results: The estimated gestational diabetes mellitus prevalence among the studied women was 15.3% (95% CI = 14.1%-16.5%). Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pre-pregnancy obesity (adjusted odds ratio = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.15-7.11), gravidity 3-7 adjusted odds ratio = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.15-4.6), and previous history of gestational diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio = 4.81; 95% CI = 1.42-16.24) increased the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Conclusion: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus among pregnant women in Yasuj was found to be high. Also, obesity, previous gestational diabetes mellitus history, and higher gravidity were identified as risk factors of this disease. Therefore, control of weight before and during pregnancy, management of gravidity at early ages, and intensive care of mothers with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus is essential for the target population.