Ethnic Inequities in Screening for Diabetes in Pregnancy in New Zealand-adherence to National Guidelines

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess adherence to the 2014 Ministry of Health (MoH) screening guidelines for diabetes in pregnancy (DiP) by Māori and non-Māori in the Waikato region.

Methods: Clinical records were reviewed for women without known diabetes before pregnancy who delivered in hospitals or community birth centres in the Waikato region during June-August 2017. Screening rates for DiP were assessed using HbA1c, glucose challenge and/or glucose tolerance tests.

Results: Of a total of 807 women, 94% received some form of screening for DiP; 527 (65.3%) underwent HbA1c screening at <20 weeks and 267 (33.1%) underwent testing for gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks' gestation. However, only 213 (26.4%) received all screening as per the MoH guideline. HbA1c testing was the most common screening performed (83.9% of all pregnancies), and three quarters of women had a glucose load screen at some point during pregnancy. In all measures, screening rates were lower in Māori, with only 17.5% (46 of 263 women) receiving both HbA1c and further glucose load screening in the recommended gestation windows (versus 31.6% (171 of 541) for non-Māori; P<0.0005).

Conclusions: Adherence to screening guidelines for DiP was poor with a marked ethnic inequity. Further work is needed to investigate the barriers to care that drive these differences.