Clinical Profile and Predictors of Childhood Overweight Following In-Utero Exposure to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Guyana
Abstract:
Children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in utero are at increased long-term risk of obesity and dysglycaemia, yet Caribbean data remain scarce. This retrospective cohort analysis characterised the clinical profile and examined predictors of abnormal body mass index (BMI) among GDM-exposed children in Guyana. Perinatal data were extracted from the records of 33 mothers diagnosed with GDM during the index pregnancy (January–June 2017); informed consent was then obtained and structured maternal telephone interviews ascertained current child parameters. Anthropometric status was classified using the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) BMI-for-age reference. Associations with overweight/obesity were assessed using Fisher’s exact test (with unadjusted odds ratios [OR] and 95% confidence intervals [CI]), the Mann–Whitney U test and the Spearman rank correlation. Overall, 13 children (39.4%, 95% CI 24.7–56.3) were overweight or obese and 5 (15.2%) were obese, while 8 (24.2%) had been macrosomic at birth. No factor was a statistically significant independent predictor of overweight/obesity. The strongest, non-significant signals were a higher number of daily meals (OR 5.62, 95% CI 0.89–35.39; p = 0.084) and lower birth weight (OR 3.43, 95% CI 0.73–16.09; p = 0.139); girls had a higher median BMI than boys (17.9 vs 16.6 kg/m²; p = 0.169). Birth weight was not positively correlated with current BMI (ρ = −0.18; p = 0.33). This exploratory, underpowered analysis supports routine longitudinal surveillance of GDM-exposed children and adequately powered comparative studies to inform maternal and child health policy in Guyana.References:
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