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Aims: To determine rates and predictors of postpartum diabetes screening among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non‐Indigenous women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: PANDORA is a prospective longitudinal cohort of women recruited in pregnancy. Postpartum diabetes screening rates at 12 weeks (75‐g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)) and 6, 12 and 18 months (OGTT, glycated haemoglobin [HbA1C] or fasting plasma glucose) were assessed for women with GDM (n = 712). Associations between antenatal factors and screening with any test (OGTT, HbA1C, fasting plasma glucose) by 6 months postpartum were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Postpartum screening rates with an OGTT by 12 weeks and 6 months postpartum were lower among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women than non‐Indigenous women (18% vs. 30% at 12 weeks, and 23% vs. 37% at 6 months, p < 0.001). Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women were more likely to have completed a 6‐month HbA1C compared to non‐Indigenous women (16% vs. 2%, p < 0.001). Screening by 6 months postpartum with any test was 41% for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women and 45% for non‐Indigenous women (p = 0.304). Characteristics associated with higher screening rates with any test by 6 months postpartum included, insulin use in pregnancy, first pregnancy, not smoking and lower BMI. Conclusions: Given very high rates of type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, early postpartum screening with the most feasible test should be prioritised to detect prediabetes and diabetes for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Few studies have assessed whether children exposed to in utero hyperglycaemia experience different growth trajectories compared to unexposed children. Objectives: To assess association of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with early childhood weight, length/height and body mass index (BMI) trajectories, and with timing and magnitude of peak BMI in infancy. Methods: PANDORA is a birth cohort recruited from an Australian hyperglycaemia in pregnancy register, and women with normoglycaemia recruited from the community. Offspring growth measures were obtained from health records over a median follow‐up of 3.0 years (interquartile range 1.9–4.0). This analysis included children born to Aboriginal mothers with in utero normoglycaemia (n = 95), GDM (n = 228) or T2D (n = 131). Growth trajectories (weight, length/height and BMI) were estimated using linear mixed models with cubic spline functions of child age. Results: After adjustment for maternal factors (age, BMI, parity, smoking, and socioeconomic measures) and child factors (age, gestational age at birth, and sex), children born to mothers with T2D or GDM had lower weight, length/height and BMI trajectories in infancy than children born to mothers with normoglycaemia, but similar weight and BMI by completion of follow‐up. Children exposed to T2D had lower mean peak BMI 17.6 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.3–18.0) than children exposed to normoglycaemia (18.6 kg/m2 [18.1–18.9]) (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Maternal hyperglycaemia was associated with differences in early childhood growth trajectories after adjustment for maternal BMI. Exploration of associations between in utero hyperglycaemia exposure and growth trajectories into later childhood is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: We aimed to assess associations between cord blood metabolic markers and fetal overgrowth, and whether cord markers mediated the impact of maternal adiposity on neonatal anthropometric outcomes among children born to Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australian women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pregestational type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: From the Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes in Remote Australia (PANDORA) study, an observational cohort of 1135 mother–baby pairs, venous cord blood was available for 645 singleton babies (49% Indigenous Australian) of women with NGT (n = 129), GDM (n = 419) and type 2 diabetes (n = 97). Cord glucose, triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP) and C-peptide were measured. Multivariable logistic and linear regression were used to assess the associations between cord blood metabolic markers and the outcomes of birthweight z score, sum of skinfold thickness (SSF), being large for gestational age (LGA) and percentage of body fat. Pathway analysis assessed whether cord markers mediated the associations between maternal and neonatal adiposity. Results: Elevated cord C-peptide was significantly associated with increasing birthweight z score (β 0.57 [95% CI 0.42, 0.71]), SSF (β 0.83 [95% CI 0.41, 1.25]), percentage of body fat (β 1.20 [95% CI 0.69, 1.71]) and risk for LGA [OR 3.14 [95% CI 2.11, 4.68]), after adjusting for age, ethnicity and diabetes type. Cord triacylglycerol was negatively associated with birthweight z score for Indigenous Australian women only. No associations between cord glucose, HDL-cholesterol and CRP >0.3 mg/l (2.9 nmol/l) with neonatal outcomes were observed. C-peptide mediated 18% (95% CI 13, 36) of the association of maternal BMI with LGA and 11% (95% CI 8, 17) of the association with per cent neonatal fat. Conclusions/interpretation: Cord blood C-peptide is an important mediator of the association between maternal and infant adiposity, across the spectrum of maternal glucose tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) populations have disproportionately high rates of adverse perinatal outcomes relative to other Australians. Poorer access to good quality maternal health care is a key driver of this disparity. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of delivery of maternity care and service gaps in primary care services in Australian Indigenous communities. Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional baseline audit for a quality improvement intervention. Medical records of 535 women from 34 Indigenous community health centres in five regions (Top End of Northern Territory 13, Central Australia 2, Far West New South Wales 6, Western Australia 9, and North Queensland 4) were audited. The main outcome measures included: adherence to recommended protocols and procedures in the antenatal and postnatal periods including: clinical, laboratory and ultrasound investigations; screening for gestational diabetes and Group B Streptococcus; brief intervention/advice on health-related behaviours and risks; and follow up of identified health problems. Results: The proportion of women presenting for their first antenatal visit in the first trimester ranged from 34% to 49% between regions; consequently, documentation of care early in pregnancy was poor. Overall, documentation of routine antenatal investigations and brief interventions/advice regarding health behaviours varied, and generally indicated that these services were underutilised. For example, 46% of known smokers received smoking cessation advice/counselling; 52% of all women received antenatal education and 51% had investigation for gestational diabetes. Overall, there was relatively good documentation of follow up of identified problems related to hypertension or diabetes, with over 70% of identified women being referred to a GP/Obstetrician. Conclusion: Participating services had both strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of maternal health care. Increasing access to evidence-based screening and health information (most notably around smoking cessation) were consistently identified as opportunities for improvement across services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess associations of hyperglycemia in pregnancy with the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in a prospective cohort of Indigenous and non‐Indigenous women, compared with normoglycemia. Methods: Data were from 1102 (48% Indigenous) women of the Pregnancy And Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes in Remote Australia (PANDORA) Study. Age‐adjusted associations of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or pre‐existing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obstetric and demographic covariables with PPH (blood loss ≥500 ml) were assessed using logistic regression. Multivariable‐adjusted models included Indigenous ethnicity, diabetes type and their interaction. Results: A higher proportion of Indigenous women developed PPH than non‐Indigenous women (32% versus 22%; P < 0.001). Compared with non‐Indigenous women with normoglycemia, risks of PPH for Indigenous women with GDM or T2DM were higher (odds ratio [OR] 1.83, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.11–3.02, and OR 1.72, 95% CI 0.99–3.00 after age adjustment, OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.06–3.19, and OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.70–2.54 after adjustment for school education and delivery mode, and OR 1.62, 95% CI 0.95–2.77, and OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.53–1.86 after adjustment for birth weight). Importantly, Indigenous women without hyperglycemia in pregnancy were not at increased risk of PPH. Conclusion: The significantly higher rates of PPH experienced by Indigenous women compared with non‐Indigenous women may be explained by a greater effect of GDM among Indigenous women that was only partly accounted for by birth weight. Synopsis: Higher risk of PPH experienced by Indigenous than by non‐Indigenous Australian women may be explained by a greater effect of GDM among Indigenous women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]