A Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes in Norway

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major public health problem and a threat to maternal and child health. There is a lack of integrated and systematically synthesized knowledge about the prevalence GDM in Norway. Therefore, this systemic review aimed to present the best available peer-reviewed published evidence from the past 20 years about the prevalence of GDM in Norway. A comprehensive literature search was performed on online databases consisting of PubMed (including Medline), Web of Science, and Scopus to retrieve original research articles published on the prevalence of GDM up to August 2020. Also, databases of Norart and SveMed+ in the Norwegian language were searched to enhance the search coverage. Data were extracted using a standardized protocol and data collection form and were presented narratively. A total of 11 studies were selected to include for data analysis and synthesis with the total sample size of 2,314,191 pregnant women. The studies included heterogenous populations and mostly reported the prevalence of GDM in healthy mothers with singleton pregnancies. The prevalence of GDM in population registered-based studies in Norway was reported to be lower than 2%, using the World Health Organization (WHO) 1999 criteria. However, studies on high-risk populations such as the non-European ethnicity reported prevalence rates ranging from 8% to 15%. Given the evidence from available literature that reported trends in the prevalence of GDM, an increase in the prevalence of GDM across most racial/ethnic groups studied in Norway was observed. Overall, the prevalence of GDM in the low risk population of Norway is fairly low, but the available literature supports the perspective that the prevalence of GDM has shown an increasing trend in recent decades. This finding is very important for health service planning and evaluation, policy development, and research in Norway. Large-scale prospective studies, using the national data, are warranted to provide firm evidence over coming years. Our review findings can help policy makers devise appropriate strategies for improving women’s reproductive health.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Risk for Declared Family History of Diabetes, in Combination with BMI Categories

“…For the error value of d = 0.03 (3%), the minimum sample size was: 574 for the proportion p = 0.16 (16%) (for all cases of GDM in this study); 506 for the proportion p = 0.137 (13.7%) (for cases of GDM-1); 96 for the proportion p = 0.023 (2.3%) (for cases of GDM-2). The minimum sample size was 802 for the proportion p = 0.25 (25%) (the highest mean proportion found in the literature) [ 4 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…GDM is an important public health issue. Globally, on average, 16% of pregnancies develop GDM (i.e., average 18 million women) depending on the region and diagnostic criteria [ 4 , 6 , 7 ], and 80–90% of cases develop GDM-1 (when diet treatment was sufficient to normalize glycemia) [ 3 ]. Importantly, this disease is associated with both short-term (perinatal) and long-term complications in the mother and the newborn.…”

Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions of Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Pregnant Migrant Women and the Potential of a Digital Support Tool—A Qualitative Study

“…Our results also indicate that there is an interest for digital tools in maternity care to promote health behaviors and that a translated and adapted version of the HealthyMoms app has the potential to provide patients with necessary information about health behaviors in pregnancy. Interestingly, a translated app in Arabic and Somali was also seen as a particularly valuable tool by healthcare professional working with gestational diabetes, as traditional care with in-person and telephone counselling is challenging for healthcare due to the fact that the prevalence of gestational diabetes has increased during recent years [ 34 ] and is high among migrant women [ 8 ]. Moreover, in this context it is relevant to note that smartphone access in the Swedish population is high (98% in the ages 25–34) [ 35 ].…”

“…Additionally, migrant women have higher risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal mortality and pre-term birth compared to native women [ 7 ]. Furthermore, migrant women have a higher prevalence of gestational diabetes [ 8 ], which is concerning given the higher risk for pregnancy complications as well as the increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease within 10 years after delivery [ 9 , 10 ]. Considering the high prevalence of excessive and inadequate GWG among the population and the associated adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternity healthcare is a key arena for promoting a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy.…”

Impact of Risk Factors on Short and Long-Term Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

“…Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is estimated to be between 3-30% ( 1 , 2 ) worldwide and is associated with significant morbidity for the mother and her offspring. In Switzerland, its prevalence is around 11% ( 3 , 4 ).…”