Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the fastest-growing type of diabetes in Australia. We aimed to assess the time trends during 2009-2018 and projections of GDM in Queensland, Australia up to 2030.
Materials and methods: The study data were from the Queensland Perinatal Data Collection (QPDC) and included data on 606 662 birth events with the births reported from at least 20 weeks gestational age or birth weight at least 400 g. Bayesian regression model was used to assess the trends in the prevalence of GDM.
Results: The prevalence of GDM increased from 5.47 to 13.62% from 2009 to 2018 (average annual rate of change, AARC = +10.71%). If the trend remains the same, the projected prevalence will increase to 42.04% (95% uncertainty interval = 34.77-48.96) by 2030. Observing AARC across different subpopulations, we found that the trend of GDM increased markedly among women living in inner regional areas (AARC = +12.49%), were non-Indigenous (AARC = +10.93%), most disadvantaged (AARC = +11.84%), aged either of two age groups (AARC = +18.45% and + 15.17% for <20 years and 20-24 years, respectively), were with obesity (AARC = +11.05%) and smoked during pregnancy (AARC = +12.26%).
Conclusions: Overall, the prevalence of GDM has sharply increased in Queensland, and if this trend continues, about 42% of pregnant women will experience GDM by 2030. The trends vary across different subpopulations. Therefore, targeting the most vulnerable subpopulations is vital to prevent the development of GDM.
Keywords: Australia; epidemiology; gestational diabetes mellitus; risk factors; trends.
© 2023 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.