Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) worldwide has been noted, and this can have an adverse impact on maternal and infant health and well-being. As developing countries are undergoing an epidemiological transition due to urbanisation, Westernised diets and a sedentary lifestyle, the prevalence of GDM in rural areas needs to be determined, and its associated risk factors understood. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of GDM in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. A questionnaire adapted from the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Centre (DCP 2.0) was used to measure the prevalence and associated risk factors of GDM. In this study, 101 pregnant women (74%) who were attending antenatal care (ANC) visits in Greater Giyani health facilities completed the questionnaire. Overall, the prevalence of GDM in Greater Giyani, Mopani district was 1.9%. Pregnant women above 30 years with secondary education, employed, obese and at a gestational age of 31-35 weeks were more likely to present with GDM. The results of the current study showed that a family history of diabetes was significantly associated with the development of GDM amongst pregnant women diagnosed with the health condition (P-value=0.018). The study recommends that awareness campaigns be conducted by health practitioners working with women in primary healthcare centres and hospitals during ANC visits, outreach clinics and consultations to educate women about the risk factors associated with GDM and its adverse outcomes. Therefore, this will enable women who are pregnant to be cognisant of this obstetric condition and take precautionary health measures to avoid modifiable risk factors. This study recommends that further research needs to be done on the development of an ideal strategy for screening gestational diabetes in a South African context.