Barriers to Postpartum Glucose Intolerance Screening in an Italian Population

Paola Quaresima, Federica Visconti, Eusebio Chiefari, Luigi Puccio, Daniela P. Foti, Roberta Venturella, Raffaella Vero, Antonio Brunetti and Costantino Di Carlo
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Paola Quaresima: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia’’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Federica Visconti: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia’’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Eusebio Chiefari: Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Luigi Puccio: Complex Operative Structure Endocrinology-Diabetology, Hospital Pugliese-Ciaccio, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Daniela P. Foti: Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Roberta Venturella: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia’’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Raffaella Vero: Complex Operative Structure Endocrinology-Diabetology, Hospital Pugliese-Ciaccio, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Antonio Brunetti: Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Costantino Di Carlo: Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University “Magna Græcia’’ of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-7

Abstract: Background : Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and the postpartum period is crucial for early treatment in at-risk women. However, despite recommendations, only a fraction of women undergo a postpartum screening for glucose intolerance (ppOGTT). The present study aims to verify the reason(s) for poor adherence in our population. Research design and methods : This retrospective study includes 451 women in which GDM was diagnosed between 2015–2016. During 2017, we verified by phone interview how many women underwent ppOGTT at 6–12 weeks postpartum, as recommended by the Italian guidelines. The non-compliant women were asked about the reason(s) for failing to screen. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test and the 2-tailed Fisher exact test were used to compare continuous and categorical features, respectively, among women performing or non-performing ppOGTT. Results : Out of 451 women with GDM diagnosis, we recorded information from 327. Only 97 (29.7%) performed ppOGTT. The remaining 230 women (70.3%) provided the following explanation for non-compliance : (1) newborn care (30.4%); (2) misunderstood importance (28.3%); (3) oversight (13.0%); (4) unavailability of test reservation in the nearest centers (10.4%); (5) normal glycemic values at delivery (8.3%); (6) discouragement by primary care physician (5.6%). Conclusions : In our population, most women with recent GDM failed to perform ppOGTT. Our results indicated that the prominent barriers could potentially be overcome.

Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus; ppOGTT; type 2 diabetes mellitus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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