The Associations between the Duration of Folic Acid Supplementation, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, and Adverse Birth Outcomes based on a Birth Cohort

Gang Cheng, Tingting Sha, Xiao Gao, Qiong He, Xialing Wu, Qianling Tian, Fan Yang, Cai Tang, Xihong Wu, Qunhui Xie and Yan Yan
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Gang Cheng: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Tingting Sha: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Xiao Gao: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Qiong He: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Xialing Wu: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Qianling Tian: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Fan Yang: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Cai Tang: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Xihong Wu: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Qunhui Xie: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
Yan Yan: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Kaifu District, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the associations between the duration of folic acid (FA) supplementation, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and adverse birth outcomes. A total of 950 mother-offspring pairs participated in the cohort study during 2015 in Changsha, China. The data were collected through home visits and perfected by maternal and child healthcare handbooks. Generalized linear models and stratified analyses were used for statistical analyses. The incidence of GDM in our cohort was 10.2%. FA supplementation for ≥3 months before pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of GDM (adjusted relative risk (aRR): 1.72; 95% CI: 1.17–2.53) and decreased risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth (aRR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.18–0.88). In the group of FA supplementation for ≥3 months during pregnancy, GDM was associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery (aRR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.06–1.75) and macrosomia (aRR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.06, 4.20), but the aRRs were lower than the RR MH 1.53 (95% CI: 1.01–2.34) and 2.43 (95% CI: 1.27–4.66). Our study suggested that the longer duration of FA supplementation before pregnancy might increase the risk of GDM, but decrease the risk of SGA birth. Longer duration of FA supplementation during pregnancy had beneficial effects on birth outcomes in women with GDM. Further studies should consider a larger sample size to confirm these findings.

Keywords: folic acid; gestational diabetes mellitus; cesarean delivery; macrosomia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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