Prevalence of gestational diabetes and associated risk factors in the population of Safi Province in Morocco.

Introduction: the association of diabetes with pregnancy is a frequent gestational situation that constitutes a real public health problem with prevalence and risk factors varying according to the population type. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes (GD) and associated risk factors (socio-demographic characteristics, medical and obstetric history) in pregnant women from the Moroccan province of Safi.

Methods: this cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study was conducted during the period from October 2018 to February 2019, on 208 pregnant women, attending the antenatal consultation services of four health centers equally distributed between urban and rural areas of Safi Province in Morocco. The data on blood glucose levels and the risk factors for gestational diabetes generally described in the literature were collected. The statistical Chi-square test and the logistic regression were used to check the association between gestational diabetes and the risk factors.

Results: the mean age of the pregnant women sample was 28.9 ± 6.8 years and the prevalence of GD was 24.5%. Using multivariate logistic regression, the most significantly associated risk factors were the diabetic inheritance of a primary relative (OR=2.616 [95% CI: 1.281-5.341]; p=0.008) and the high education level (OR=2.301 [95% CI: 1.123-4.716] p=0.023).

Conclusion: the results show that gestational diabetes is a frequent pathology among the study population. The data revealed also that the diabetes inheritance (primary relative) and the high level of education are the main risk factors of this pathology in the surveyed pregnant women in the study province.