Table 2: Characteristics of participants with and without gestational diabetes mellitus*.
| Characteristic | Mean ± SD† | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational diabetes‡ n = 365 |
No gestational diabetes n = 641 |
||
| Age, yr | 31.2 ± 4.0 | 29.7 ± 3.8 | < 0.001 |
| Length of time in Canada, yr | 8.8 ± 7.5 | 8.2 ± 7.9 | 0.2 |
| Duration of pregnancy at study enrolment, wk | 26.8 ± 2.1 | 26.6 ± 1.6 | 0.1 |
| Parity, no. (%) | |||
| Primiparous | 123 (33.7) | 283 (44.1) | < 0.001 |
| Multiparous | 236 (64.6) | 343 (53.5) | |
| Unknown | 6 (1.6) | 15 (2.3) | |
| Smoked during pregnancy, no. (%) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.3) | 0.5 |
| Vegetarian, no. (%) | 125 (34.5) | 243 (38.1) | 0.2 |
| Diet quality score | 2.2 ± 1.4 | 2.5 ± 1.3 | 0.002 |
| Low diet quality, no. (%) | 121 (33.4) | 145 (22.9) | < 0.001 |
| Time spent engaged in active sport per wk, h | 1.4 ± 2.2 | 1.6 ± 2.5 | 0.4 |
| Physical activity in pregnancy, no. (%) | |||
| Sedentary | 97 (26.6) | 139 (21.7) | 0.2 |
| Mild exercise | 202 (55.3) | 373 (58.2) | |
| Moderate exercise | 64 (17.5) | 128 (20.0) | |
| Unknown | 2 (0.5) | 1 (0.2) | |
| Family history of diabetes, no. (%) | 191 (52.5) | 228 (35.7) | < 0.001 |
| Social disadvantage index, no. (%) | |||
| High | 47 (12.9) | 90 (14.0) | 0.9 |
| Moderate | 118 (32.3) | 213 (33.2) | |
| Low | 145 (39.7) | 251 39.2) | |
| Unknown | 55 (15.1) | 87 (13.6) | |
| Currently employed, no. (%) | 196 (54.0) | 349 (54.5) | 0.9 |
| Annual household income ≥ $50 000, no. (%) | 143 (46.0) | 242 (43.6) | 0.5 |
| High school education, no. (%) | 361 (99.4) | 638 (99.5) | 0.9 |
| Prepregnancy weight, kg | 64.9 ± 12.2 | 61.3 ± 11.8 | < 0.001 |
| Height, cm | 161.6 ± 6.2 | 162.5 ± 6.3 | 0.02 |
| Prepregnancy body mass index | 24.9 ± 4.6 | 23.2 ± 4.3 | < 0.001 |
| Sum of skinfold measurements at enrolment, mm | 52.3 ± 12.3 | 47.9 ± 12.4 | < 0.001 |
| Triceps skinfold thickness at enrolment, mm | 28.5 ± 6.7 | 26.5 ± 6.8 | < 0.001 |
| Subscapular skinfold thickness at enrolment, mm | 24.1 ± 6.6 | 21.5 ± 6.5 | < 0.001 |
| Glucose area under the curve, mmol/min | 966.8 ± 164.0 | 722.4 ± 102.5 | < 0.001 |
| Weight gain during pregnancy, kg | 13.5 ± 7.5 | 14.7 ± 7.9 | 0.02 |
| Weight gain during pregnancy/prepregnancy weight | 0.22 ± 0.13 | 0.25 ± 0.15 | < 0.001 |
| Cesarean delivery, no. (%) | 127 (35.2) | 177 (27.9) | 0.02 |
Note: SD = standard deviation.
*Data missing for some variables.
†Except where noted otherwise.
‡Classified with the cut-off values derived from the Born in Bradford cohort.26 Participants with a history of diabetes were excluded.