Similar outcomes for pregnant patients who received prenatal care in-person or in a combination of telehealth and in-person visits
Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and childhood autism-related outcomes
Epidemiologic evidence linking prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with altered neurodevelopment is inconclusive, and few large studies have focused on autism-related outcomes. We investigated whether blood concentrations of PFAS in pregnancy are associated with child autism-related outcomes.…
Understanding facilitators and barriers to achieving glycemic control among a diverse population with gestational diabetes
The SUNRISE project capitalizes on our previous qualitative research that demonstrated our ability to identify facilitators and barriers that contribute to health engagement among patients with gestational diabetes. The proposed supplement widens the potential impact of the parent project beyond…
Center for upstream prevention of adiposity and diabetes mellitus
The UPSTREAM Center conducts research on the upstream prevention of adiposity and diabetes by identifying risk factors and conducting interventions early in the life to prevent the onset of these conditions. Our focus is on training the next generation of…
Health Care Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Individuals Born Preterm
Limited data exist on pediatric health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic among children and young adults born preterm. To investigate differences in health care use related to COVID-19 concerns during the pandemic among children and young adults born preterm…
Changes in Body Mass Index Among School-Aged Youths Following Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
The prevalence of obesity among youths 2 to 19 years of age in the US from 2017 to 2018 was 19.3%; previous studies suggested that school lunch consumption was associated with increased obesity. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010…
In utero metabolomic signatures of refined grains intake and risk of gestational diabetes: A metabolome-wide association study
Epidemiologic evidence has linked refined grain intake to a higher risk of gestational diabetes (GDM), but the biological underpinnings remain unclear. We aimed to identify and validate refined grain-related metabolomic biomarkers for GDM risk. In a metabolome-wide association study of…
Incidence Rates of Childhood Asthma with Recurrent Exacerbations in the U.S. Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program
Descriptive epidemiological data on incidence rates (IRs) of asthma with recurrent exacerbations (ARE) are sparse. We hypothesized that IRs for ARE would vary by time, geography, age, race and ethnicity, irrespective of parental asthma history. We leveraged data from 17246…
The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort
The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort Study (EWC), a collaborative research design comprising 69 cohorts in 31 consortia, was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2016 to improve children's health in the United States.…
Impact of sedentary behavior and emotional support on prenatal psychological distress and birth outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract. Studies have reported mixed findings regarding the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pregnant women and birth outcomes. This study used a quasi-experimental design to account for potential confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. Data were drawn from…
Birth Outcomes in Relation to Prenatal Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Stress in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and ubiquitous chemicals associated with risk of adverse birth outcomes. Results of previous studies have been inconsistent. Associations between PFAS and birth outcomes may be affected by psychosocial stress. We estimated risk of…
Intergenerational transmission of the effects of maternal exposure to childhood maltreatment in the USA: a retrospective cohort study
Childhood maltreatment is associated with adverse health outcomes and this risk can be transmitted to the next generation. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to maternal childhood maltreatment and common childhood physical and mental health problems, neurodevelopmental disorders,…
Children’s pandemic screen time rose nearly 2 hours per day
Perinatal Outcomes During vs. Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Role of Maternal Depression and Perceived Stress: A Report from the ECHO Program
We sought to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal outcomes while accounting for maternal depression or perceived stress and to describe COVID-specific stressors, including changes in prenatal care, across specific time periods of the pandemic. Data dyads…
Dietary Quality Indices in Early Pregnancy and Rate of Gestational Weight Gain among a Prospective Multi-Racial and Ethnic Cohort
Meeting the Institute of Medicine (IOM) gestational weight gain (GWG) guidelines is associated with a reduced risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Overall diet quality comprehensively assesses dietary components and accounts for interactions between them. While GWG is influenced by maternal…
Trends in Screen Time Use Among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 2019 Through August 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread lockdowns and school closures that may have affected screen time among children. Although restrictions were strongest early in the pandemic, it is unclear how screen time changed as the pandemic progressed. To evaluate change…
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s sleep habits: an ECHO study
Sleep in childhood is affected by behavioral, environmental, and parental factors. We propose that these factors were altered during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates sleep habit changes during the pandemic in 528 children 4-12 years old in the US,…
Effects of COVID-19 Financial and Social Hardships on Infants’ and Toddlers’ Development in the ECHO Program
The financial hardships and social isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic have been found to adversely affect children's developmental outcomes. While many studies thus far have focused on school-aged children and the pandemic-related impacts on their academic skills and behavior…
Associations of Neighborhood Opportunity and Social Vulnerability With Trajectories of Childhood Body Mass Index and Obesity Among US Children
Physical and social neighborhood attributes may have implications for children's growth and development patterns. The extent to which these attributes are associated with body mass index (BMI) trajectories and obesity risk from childhood to adolescence remains understudied. To examine associations…
Changes in 24-Hour Movement Behaviors From Early to Late Pregnancy in Individuals With Prepregnancy Overweight or Obesity
Understanding how sleep, sedentary behavior (SED), and physical activity (PA) (24-h movement profile) changes across pregnancy in individuals with prepregnancy overweight or obesity and how parity (previous births) impacts these changes can help inform interventions. In 155 participants, movement was…
Urinary Phenols in Early to Mid-Pregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes: A Longitudinal Study in a Multiracial Cohort
Environmental phenols are ubiquitous endocrine disruptors and putatively diabetogenic. However, data during pregnancy are scant. We investigated the prospective associations between pregnancy phenol concentrations and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. In a nested matched case-control study of 111 individuals with…
Link between commonly used chemicals, gestational diabetes
Development and validation of prediction models for gestational diabetes treatment modality using supervised machine learning: a population-based cohort study
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is prevalent and benefits from timely and effective treatment, given the short window to impact glycemic control. Clinicians face major barriers to choosing effectively among treatment modalities [medical nutrition therapy (MNT) with or without pharmacologic treatment (antidiabetic…
Glycemic Control Trajectories and Risk of Perinatal Complications Among Individuals With Gestational Diabetes
Glycemic control is the cornerstone of gestational diabetes management. Glycemic control trajectories account for differences in longitudinal patterns throughout pregnancy; however, studies on glycemic control trajectories are scarce. To examine whether glycemic control trajectories from gestational diabetes diagnosis to delivery…
Changes in BMI During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Experts hypothesized increased weight gain in children associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our objective was to evaluate whether the rate of change of child body mass index (BMI) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prepandemic years.…
Predictive Metabolomic Markers in Early to Mid-Pregnancy for Gestational Diabetes: A Prospective Test and Validation Study
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) predisposes pregnant individuals to perinatal complications and long-term diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. We developed and validated metabolomic markers for GDM in a prospective test-validation study. In a case-control sample within the PETALS cohort (GDM n =…
Health Behavior Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis among Children
This longitudinal study compared children's health behaviors before the COVID-19 pandemic versus during the pandemic. This analysis examined the association between individual-level characteristics and health behavior change. Four prospective cohort studies in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)…
Cardiometabolic Pregnancy Complications in Association with Autism-Related Traits as Measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale in ECHO
Prior work has examined associations between cardiometabolic pregnancy complications and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but not how these complications may relate to social communication traits more broadly. We addressed this question within the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program,…
Sociodemographic Variation in Children’s Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background: Societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may affect children's health behaviors and exacerbate disparities. This study aimed to describe children's health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they vary by sociodemographic characteristics, and the extent to which parent coping…
Reach, acceptability, and perceived success of a telehealth diabetes prevention program among racially and ethnically diverse patients with gestational diabetes: the GEM cluster-randomized trial
Patients with gestational diabetes mellitus and from racial/ethnic minority groups face disproportionate risk for type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions, if accessible and acceptable to diverse patients, could advance diabetes prevention and mitigate racial/ethnic disparities. Here we describe overall and race/ethnicity-specific…
Coping strategies for COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and mental health during pregnancy
Increased stress has likely contributed to the observed high prevalence of depression and anxiety in pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of coping strategies for COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and associations…
Impaired fasting glucose in pregnancy: improved perinatal outcomes with active glycemic management
To assess the association between active glycemic management and large for gestational age (LGA) neonates and cesarean delivery (CD) among pregnant women with impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data of women with IFG who…
A Web-Based mHealth Intervention With Telephone Support to Increase Physical Activity Among Pregnant Patients With Overweight or Obesity: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial
Pregnant patients with overweight or obesity are at high risk for perinatal complications. Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) further exacerbates this risk. Mobile health (mHealth) lifestyle interventions that leverage technology to facilitate self-monitoring and provide just-in-time feedback may motivate behavior…
Uptake of guideline-recommended postpartum diabetes screening among diverse women with gestational diabetes: associations with patient factors in an integrated health system in USA
Clinical guidelines urge timely postpartum screening for diabetes among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), yet patient factors associated with screening uptake remain unclear. We aimed to identify patient factors associated with completed postpartum diabetes screening (2-hour oral glucose tolerance…
New clues in early prediction of gestational diabetes
Pandemic stressors taking a toll on pregnant patients’ mental health
Perinatal Complications in Individuals in California With or Without SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy
Additional research from population-based studies is needed to inform the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and to provide health risk information to pregnant individuals. To assess the risk of perinatal complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and to describe factors…
Motivational Determinants of Postpartum Lifestyle Behaviors, Weight Retention, and Metabolic Syndrome
The proposed study aims to identify affective influences on key lifestyle behaviors (healthy eating and objectively measured self-weighing and physical activity) associated with postpartum weight retention and cardiometabolic profile (e.g., metabolic syndrome). We propose a longitudinal study design within a…
Youth Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The family stress model proposes economic hardship results in caregiver distress and relational problems, which negatively impact youth outcomes. We extend this model to evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-related family hardships on caregiver and youth stress, and,…
Associations between infant growth and pubertal onset timing in a multiethnic prospective cohort of girls
Early puberty increases risk of adverse health conditions throughout the life course. US girls are experiencing earlier puberty without clear reasons. Studies suggest early life factors, such as infant growth, may influence pubertal timing. We assessed the associations between infant…
Coronavirus may double severe complications in pregnancy
Association of Glyburide and Subcutaneous Insulin With Perinatal Complications Among Women With Gestational Diabetes
Nearly 30% of individuals with gestational diabetes (GDM) do not achieve glycemic control with lifestyle modification alone and require medication treatment. Oral agents, such as glyburide, have several advantages over insulin for the treatment of GDM, including greater patient acceptance;…
Optimizing a Scalable Intervention to Maximize Guideline-Recommended Diabetes Testing after GDM
We will leverage the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) to efficiently identify, in a single experiment, which of four components of an outreach intervention motivate women with gestational diabetes to complete a recommended oral glucose tolerance test by 12 weeks and…
Associations of COVID-19-Related Health, Healthcare and Economic Factors With Prenatal Depression and Anxiety
Objective: This study evaluated whether COVID-19 pandemic-related health, healthcare and economic factors during pregnancy are associated with prenatal depression and anxiety. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6,628 pregnant members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who responded to a…
Contributions of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stressors to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health During Pregnancy
This study aimed to identify racial and ethnic disparities in prenatal mental health and identify COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic contributors to these disparities, using an established framework for disparity investigation. This cross-sectional study includes 10,930 pregnant people at Kaiser…
The Role of Childhood Asthma in Obesity Development: A Nationwide U.S. Multi-cohort Study
Asthma and obesity often co-occur. It has been hypothesized that asthma may contribute to childhood obesity onset. To determine if childhood asthma is associated with incident obesity and examine the role of asthma medication in this association. We studied 8,716…
Regional and sociodemographic differences in average BMI among US children in the ECHO program
The aim of this study was to describe the association of individual-level characteristics (sex, race/ethnicity, birth weight, maternal education) with child BMI within each US Census region and variation in child BMI by region. This study used pooled data from…
Methods-Motivational Interviewing Approach for Enhanced Retention and Attendance
Suboptimal and differential participant engagement in randomized trials-including retention at primary outcome assessments and attendance at intervention sessions-undermines rigor, internal validity, and trial conclusions. First, this study describes Methods-Motivational Interviewing approach and strategies for implementation. This approach engages potential participants…
Associations of household food insufficiency with childhood depression and anxiety: a nationwide cross-sectional study in the USA
Household food insufficiency (HFIS) is a major public health threat to children. Children may be particularly vulnerable to HFIS as a psychological stressor due to their rapid growth and accelerated behavioural and cognitive states, whereas data focusing on HFIS and…
Improving clinical utility of GAD65 autoantibodies by electrochemiluminescence assay and clinical phenotype when identifying autoimmune adult-onset diabetes
It is important to differentiate the two major phenotypes of adult-onset diabetes, autoimmune type 1 diabetes and non-autoimmune type 2 diabetes, especially as type 1 diabetes presents in adulthood. Serum GAD65 autoantibodies (GADA) are the most sensitive biomarker for adult-onset…
Healthy preconception and early-pregnancy lifestyle and risk of preterm birth: a prospective cohort study
Preterm birth (PTB) remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and long-term morbidity. Individual factors have been linked to PTB risk. The impact of a healthy lifestyle, with multiple modifiable prenatal factors, remains unknown. We aimed to examine the associations…
Early Life Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Child Growth, Adiposity, and Neurodevelopment – DUPLICATED DO NOT ACTIVATE
This study is evaluating whether in-utero exposures to maternal PFCs and PBDEs, individually and/or in combination, are associated with infant growth, adiposity, and neurodevelopment; metabolic determinants of obesity; and neurodevelopment and infant patterns of DNA methylation. The study also aims…
Healthy lifestyle linked to lower risk of preterm birth
Household mold, pesticide use, and childhood asthma: A nationwide study in the U.S
To investigate the associations of household mold and pesticide use with risk of childhood asthma and examine the potential effect modification by child's sex at a national level in the U.S. Nationally representative data were drawn from the cross-sectional 2017…
COVID-19 Related Changes in Health Care Delivery and Health Outcomes Among Pregnant Women and Their Newborns
This study will examine the impacts that COVID-19 pandemic related changes in health care delivery had on health outcomes among pregnant women and their newborns in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The study will also evaluate the clinical course of COVID-19…
Exercise During the First Trimester of Pregnancy and the Risks of Abnormal Screening and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
To estimate the effects of exercise during the first trimester on the risks of abnormal screening and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data come from PETALS, a prospectively followed pregnancy cohort (n = 2,246, 79% minorities) receiving care at Kaiser Permanente…
COVID-19 prevalence, symptoms, and sociodemographic disparities in infection among insured pregnant women in Northern California
Research on COVID-19 during pregnancy has mainly focused on women hospitalized for COVID-19 or other reasons during their pregnancy. Little is known about COVID-19 in the general population of pregnant women. To describe the prevalence of COVID-19, symptoms, consequent healthcare…
Incidence and predictors of type 1 diabetes among younger adults aged 20-45 years: The diabetes in young adults (DiYA) study
To estimate incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to develop a T1D prediction model among young adults. Adults 20-45 years newly-diagnosed with diabetes in 2017 were identified within Kaiser Permanente's healthcare systems in California and invited for diabetes autoantibody (DAA)…
Exercising more in early pregnancy may reduce gestational diabetes risk
Translating Research on Diabetes and Obesity in Pregnancy Into Prevention: The 2019 Norbert Freinkel Award Lecture
Epidemiological studies on the intergenerational transmission of hyperglycemia and obesity via in utero exposure have established the scientific foundation for the vicious cycle of diabetes and obesity. The findings compel us to address an urgent public health question: how do…
Kaiser Permanente Northern California deepens its COVID-19 research agenda
Alternative Wear-time Estimation Methods Compared to Traditional Diary Logs for Wrist-Worn ActiGraph Accelerometers in Pregnant Women
This study sought to compare three sensor-based wear-time estimation methods to conventional diaries for ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers worn on the non-dominant wrist in early pregnancy. Pregnant women (n= 108) wore ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers for 7 days and recorded their device…
A telehealth lifestyle intervention to reduce excess gestational weight gain in pregnant women with overweight or obesity (GLOW): a randomised, parallel-group, controlled trial
Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) among women with overweight or obesity synergistically increases their already elevated risk of having gestational diabetes, a caesarean delivery, a large for gestational age infant, and post-partum weight retention, and increases their child's risk of…
Work-based diabetes prevention programs in San Francisco show promising results
Comparative Effectiveness of 2 Diabetes Prevention Lifestyle Programs in the Workplace: The City and County of San Francisco Diabetes Prevention Trial
Data on the comparative effectiveness of Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs) in the workplace are limited. Between September 2015 and July 2016, employees of the City and County of San Francisco who were at risk for type 2 diabetes (N =…
Telephone coaching helped pregnant women with overweight or obesity manage gestational weight gain
Understanding childhood obesity in the US: the NIH environmental influences on child health outcomes (ECHO) program
Few resources exist for prospective, longitudinal analysis of the relationships between early life environment and later obesity in large diverse samples of children in the United States (US). In 2016, the National Institutes of Health launched the Environmental influences on…
Exercise During the First Trimester and Infant Size at Birth: Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation of the Causal Risk Difference
This cohort study sought to estimate the differences in risk of delivering infants who were small or large for gestational age (SGA or LGA, respectively) according to exercise during the first trimester of pregnancy (vs. no exercise) among 2,286 women…
ECHO Coordinating Center: Opportunities and Infrastructure Fund Component
The overall goal of this project is to demonstrate that the newly FDA-approved Airwave Oscillometry System (tremoFlo c-100, Thorasys) can be used to reliably and easily obtain lung function measurements in ECHO cohorts and that these oscillometry measures of respiratory…
Plasma Prolactin and Progesterone Levels and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes: A Prospective and Longitudinal Study in a Multiracial Cohort
Objective: Prolactin and progesterone are implicated in glucose homeostasis in and outside of pregnancy. However, their associations with gestational diabetes (GDM) risk were not well-understood. This study investigates this question in a prospective and longitudinal cohort. Methods: This is a…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes by BMI: Patient Outcomes Research To Advance Learning (PORTAL) Multisite Cohort of Adults in the U.S
To examine racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes by BMI category. In a consortium of three U.S. integrated health care systems, 4,906,238 individuals aged ≥20 years during 2012-2013 were included. Diabetes and prediabetes were ascertained by diagnosis…
Minority racial and ethnic groups get diabetes at lower weights
Plasma phospholipid n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to cardiometabolic markers and gestational diabetes: A longitudinal study within the prospective NICHD Fetal Growth Studies
Despite dietary recommendations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for cardiometabolic health, n-3 and n-6 PUFAs and their interplay in relation to diabetes risk remain debated. Importantly, data among pregnant women are scarce. We investigated individual plasma phospholipid n-3 and n-6…
A Randomized Study of Values Affirmation to Promote Interest in Diabetes Prevention Among Women With a History of Gestational Diabetes
The objective of this study was to test whether 2 interventions promote interest in diabetes prevention among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus, who face high lifetime risk for diabetes. We designed an email outreach message promoting an…
American Diabetes Association honors Kaiser Permanente researcher with its Norbert Freinkel Award
Mother’s pregnancy weight linked to early puberty in daughters
Gestational weight gain and optimal wellness (GLOW): rationale and methods for a randomized controlled trial of a lifestyle intervention among pregnant women with overweight or obesity
Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is common among women with overweight or obesity, increasing their risks for pregnancy complications, delivering a large infant, and postpartum weight retention. To date, only intensive interventions have had success and few interventions have been…
Poor diet quality in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of excess fetal growth: a prospective multi-racial/ethnic cohort study
Nutritional perturbations during pregnancy may impact fetal and long-term childhood growth, although there are limited data on overall diet quality. We investigated whether diet quality, measured by the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010), during pregnancy was related to birthweight z-score (BWZ)…
Maternal Gestational Weight Gain, Obesity, and the Timing of Pubertal Onset in Daughters
Early puberty is associated with adverse health outcomes, but little is known regarding early life determinants influencing pubertal timing. We examined the associations between maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) and the timing of the onset of breast development (thelarche) and…
Dietary Quality and Glycemic Control Among Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Poor dietary quality, measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010), is associated with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes. The aim was to investigate the association between dietary quality and glycemic control in women with…
Mom’s Poor Diet in Pregnancy Linked to Baby’s Higher Weight at Birth
Diagnostic thresholds for pregnancy hyperglycemia, maternal weight status and the risk of childhood obesity in a diverse Northern California cohort using health care delivery system data
To estimate the risk of childhood obesity associated with the various criteria proposed for diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM), and the joint effects with maternal BMI. Cohort study of 46,396 women delivering at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health care…
Abdominal Obesity in Early Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Gestational Diabetes
Central Obesity Increases the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Partially Through Increasing Insulin Resistance
This study examined the associations of central obesity measures, waist to hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC), in early pregnancy with subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and evaluated the potential mediating role of insulin resistance markers. Within…
Research Gaps in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Executive Summary of a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Workshop
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a workshop on research gaps in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with a focus on 1) early pregnancy diagnosis and treatment and 2) pharmacologic treatment strategies. This article summarizes the…
A Tailored Letter Based on Electronic Health Record Data Improves Gestational Weight Gain Among Women With Gestational Diabetes: The Gestational Diabetes’ Effects on Moms (GEM) Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluate whether a tailored letter improved gestational weight gain (GWG) and whether GWG mediated a multicomponent intervention's effect on postpartum weight retention among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). A cluster-randomized controlled trial of 44 medical facilities (n = 2,014…
Associations Between Maternal Obesity and Pregnancy Hyperglycemia and Timing of Pubertal Onset in Adolescent Girls: A Population-Based Study
Early puberty is associated with adverse health outcomes. We investigated whether in utero exposure to maternal obesity is associated with daughters' pubertal timing using 15,267 racially/ethnically diverse Kaiser Permanente Northern California members aged 6-11 years with pediatrician-assessed Tanner staging (2003-2017).…
A prospective and longitudinal study of plasma phospholipid saturated fatty acid profile in relation to cardiometabolic biomarkers and the risk of gestational diabetes
Data on saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in relation to metabolic function and glucose homeostasis remain controversial. Such data are lacking among pregnant women. We prospectively investigated objectively measured individual and subclasses of plasma phospholipid SFAs throughout pregnancy in relation to…
A Cohort Study of Metformin and Colorectal Cancer Risk among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Background: Several epidemiologic studies have reported strong inverse associations between metformin use and risk of colorectal cancer, although time-related biases, such as immortal time bias, may in part explain these findings. We reexamined this association using methods to minimize these…
Personalized Letter Improves Pregnancy Weight for Women with Gestational Diabetes
Maternal weight and hyperglycemia linked to early puberty onset in girls
Associations of overweight/obesity and socioeconomic status with hypertension prevalence across racial and ethnic groups
Racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of diagnosed hypertension are persistent but may be partially explained by racial/ethnic differences in weight category and neighborhood socioeconomic status. The authors compared hypertension prevalence rates among 4 060 585 adults with overweight or obesity across 10…
Study to Assess the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Young Adults
This project with multiple principal investigators will address the following aims: 1) Develop and implement a case ascertainment strategy for the rapid, timely and complete identification of new onset diabetes cases among young adults; 2) Develop and implement procedures for…
New Opportunities to Prevent Diabetes in the Workplace
The study seeks to compare weight loss outcomes and patient engagement in two interventions derived from Diabetes Prevention Programs.
Comparative Effectiveness of Diabetes Prevention Strategies in Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
It is a cluster randomized lifestyle intervention trial that assesses the effect of an organizational-level intervention on weight management in GDM patients. Randomization will occur at the medical center level; 44 medical centers of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KP) will…
Liver Enzymes in Early to Mid-pregnancy, Insulin Resistance, and Gestational Diabetes Risk: A Longitudinal Analysis
Background: Liver enzymes may be implicated in glucose homeostasis; liver enzymes progressively change during pregnancy but longitudinal data during pregnancy in relation to insulin resistance and gestational diabetes (GDM) risk are lacking. We investigated longitudinal associations of γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT)…
Leveraging EHRs for patient engagement: perspectives on tailored program outreach
Electronic health records (EHRs) present healthcare delivery systems with scalable, cost-effective opportunities to promote lifestyle programs among patients at high risk for type 2 diabetes, yet little consensus exists on strategies to enhance patient engagement. We explored patient perspectives on…
The Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS): a population-based longitudinal multi-racial birth cohort
Increasing recognition has been received regarding the proven and suggested links between multi-level environmental exposures on a broad scale (e.g., chemical, clinical, behavioral, physical and social) and health deficits originated from the critical window of development. However, such prospective human…
Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among 1.3 Million Adults With Overweight or Obesity, but Not Diabetes, in 10 Geographically Diverse Regions of the United States, 2012-2013
Various phenotypes of overweight and obesity pose various health risks. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of 4 commonly measured cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) among adults with overweight or obesity, but not diabetes, at the time…
Telephone-Based Coaching: A Comparison of Tobacco Cessation Programs in an Integrated Health Care System
Many Americans continue to smoke, increasing their risk of disease and premature death. Both telephone-based counseling and in-person tobacco cessation classes may improve access for smokers seeking convenient support to quit. Little research has assessed whether such programs are effective…
Moderate intensity sports and exercise is associated with glycaemic control in women with gestational diabetes
To assess the association of regular, unsupervised sports and exercise during pregnancy, by intensity level, with glycaemic control in women with gestational diabetes (GDM). Prospective cohort study of 971 women who, shortly after being diagnosed with GDM, completed a Pregnancy Physical…
Early Life Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Child Growth, Adiposity, and Neurodevelopment
We hypothesize that in-utero exposures to commonly used endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as PFCs and PBDEs, individually and/or in combination, have adverse effects on child obesity and neurodevelopment through possible common pathways. Our aims are: Aim 1. To evaluate whether…
Trends and racial and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Northern California: 1996-2014
Despite concern for adverse perinatal outcomes in women with diabetes mellitus before pregnancy, recent data on the prevalence of pregestational type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States are lacking. The purpose of this study was to…
The impact of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss: A “Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D)” study
To evaluate the impact of a population-based telephonic wellness coaching program on weight loss. Individual-level segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data comparing the BMI trajectories in the 12 months before versus the 12 months after initiating coaching among…
Appropriate Gestational Weight Gain in Overweight/Obese Women
Among overweight/obese pregnant women, we propose to develop and evaluate a randomized diet and physical activity intervention tailored to mothers and feasible in a health plan setting, with the goal of ameliorating inappropriate gestational weight gain.
Kaiser Permanente Study: Telephone Wellness Coaching Aids Significant Weight Loss
Kaiser Permanente members who voluntarily participated in individual wellness coaching by telephone for weight management lost an average of 10 pounds each and changed their weight trajectories from upward to downward, according to a new study published in the journal…
Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Risk of Gestational Diabetes
This study will enroll 3,350 pregnant women during their first trimester, among whom a prospective nested case-control study of 300 gestational diabetes cases and 600 controls will be conducted to examine the association between early pregnancy levels of bisphenol-A (BPA)…
Cohort Study of Pioglitazone and Bladder Cancer in Patients with Diabetes
This cohort study examines the possible association of pioglitazone use with the incidence of new bladder cancer in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry .
Cohort Study of Pioglitazone and Cancer Incidence in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
The objective of this study is to conduct exploratory analysis of the potential association between treatment with pioglitazone and risk of cancer at sites other than bladder using information available from a variety of KPNC electronic data sources.
Translational Diabetes Prevention in GDM
This is a lifestyle intervention project tailored to pregnant and postpartum women with gestational diabetes (GDM) and designed to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The intervention will start during pregnancy soon after GDM diagnosis and will continue postpartum.…
Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus following Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
This study examines gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) following GDM pregnancy. A cohort of 988 pregnant women with PCOS who delivered during 2002-2005 was examined…
Evaluating the Use of Electronic Health Records for Type 2 Diabetes Surveillance in 2 California Counties, 2010-2014
Electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic laboratory records (ELRs) are increasingly seen as a rich source of data for performing public health surveillance activities and monitoring community health status. Their potential for surveillance of chronic illness, however, may be underused.…
Perceived psychosocial stress and gestational weight gain among women with gestational diabetes
Growing evidence links perceived stress-a potentially modifiable psychosocial risk factor-with health behaviors and obesity. Yet little is known about the relationship between stress during pregnancy and gestational weight gain, particularly among women with pregnancy complications. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis…
The Kaiser Permanente Northern California research program on genes, environment, and health (RPGEH) pregnancy cohort: study design, methodology and baseline characteristics
Exposures during the prenatal period may have lasting effects on maternal and child health outcomes. To better understand the effects of the in utero environment on children's short- and long-term health, large representative pregnancy cohorts with comprehensive information on a…
Kaiser Permanente to Examine Role of Environmental Factors in Childhood Obesity and Developmental Disorders
Kaiser Permanente researchers have received a major new grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how exposures to environmental chemicals during pregnancy may influence the risk of obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Twenty percent of U.S. children…
Pre-pregnancy adverse lipid profile and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes
Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) peak diameter and a predominance of small, dense LDL are associated with type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear whether they are a risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). To evaluate whether prepregnancy lipid profile…
Associations Between Maternal Pregravid Obesity and Gestational Diabetes and the Timing of Pubarche in Daughters
We investigated whether in utero exposure to maternal pregravid obesity and/or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was associated with early puberty in girls. We used data from a longitudinal study of 421 mother-daughter pairs enrolled in an integrated health services organization,…
Lifestyle behaviors and ethnic identity among diverse women at high risk for type 2 diabetes
Diet and physical activity lifestyle behaviors are modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes and are shaped by culture, potentially influencing diabetes health disparities. We examined whether ethnic identity-the strength of attachment to one's ethnic group, and a long-standing focus…
Moderate and Vigorous Intensity Exercise During Pregnancy and Gestational Weight Gain in Women with Gestational Diabetes
Objectives To estimate the associations of moderate and vigorous intensity exercise during pregnancy with the rate of gestational weight gain (GWG) from gestational diabetes (GDM) diagnosis to delivery, overall and stratified by prepregnancy overweight/obesity. Methods Prospective cohort study with physical…
Interacting effects of obesity, race, ethnicity and sex on the incidence and control of adult-onset asthma
To improve care and control for patients with adult-onset asthma, a better understanding of determinants of their risk and outcomes is important. We investigated how associations between asthma, asthma control and obesity may be modified by patient demographic characteristics. This…
The Comparative Effectiveness of Diabetes Prevention Strategies to Reduce Postpartum Weight Retention in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: The Gestational Diabetes’ Effects on Moms (GEM) Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
To compare the effectiveness of diabetes prevention strategies addressing postpartum weight retention for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) delivered at the health system level: mailed recommendations (usual care) versus usual care plus a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)-derived lifestyle intervention.…
The Patient Outcomes Research To Advance Learning (PORTAL) Network Adult Overweight and Obesity Cohort: Development and Description
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) created a new national network infrastructure to enable large-scale observational comparative effectiveness research across diverse clinical care settings. As part of testing the feasibility of this effort, each clinical data research network (CDRN) was…
Lifestyle Intervention Helps Women With Gestational Diabetes Achieve Appropriate Weight Loss, Exercise Levels After Birth of Baby
A diabetes prevention program administered within the nation’s largest, integrated health care system was effective in helping women with a history of gestational diabetes reach weight loss goals and increase physical activity following the birth of their children, according to…
Ten-year Kaiser Permanente study: No clear increase in bladder and other cancers with use of common diabetes medication
A commonly prescribed diabetes medication called pioglitazone (brand name Actos) was not associated with a clear increased risk of bladder cancer and several other cancers, according to a 10-year study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California by researchers at its…
Pioglitazone Use and Risk of Bladder Cancer and Other Common Cancers in Persons With Diabetes
Studies suggest pioglitazone use may increase risk of cancers. To examine whether pioglitazone use for diabetes is associated with risk of bladder and 10 additional cancers. Cohort and nested case-control analyses among persons with diabetes. A bladder cancer cohort followed…
Outreach to diversify clinical trial participation: A randomized recruitment study
Racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in clinical research, yet few recruitment strategies have been rigorously evaluated. We experimentally tested whether targeted recruitment letters acknowledging diabetes health disparities and health risks specific to recipients' racial/ethnic group improved two metrics of…
Metformin use and lung cancer risk in patients with diabetes
Methodologic biases may explain why observational studies examining metformin use in relation to lung cancer risk have produced inconsistent results. We conducted a cohort study to further investigate this relationship, accounting for potential biases. For 47,351 patients with diabetes ages…
Wellness Coaching for People With Prediabetes: A Randomized Encouragement Trial to Evaluate Outreach Methods at Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, 2013
Health coaching can improve lifestyle behaviors known to prevent or manage chronic conditions. Little is known about effective ways to encourage health and wellness coaching among people who might benefit. The purpose of this randomized encouragement trial was to assess…
Maternal gestational weight gain and offspring risk for childhood overweight or obesity
The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between gestational weight gain, per the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations, and offspring overweight/obesity at 2-5 years of age. This was a prospective cohort study of 4145 women who…
Post-partum weight loss and glucose metabolism in women with gestational diabetes: the DEBI Study
Women with gestational diabetes are at high risk for developing diabetes; post-partum weight loss may reduce the risk of diabetes. We evaluated the association of post-partum weight change with changes in glucose, insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance…
Pregravid Liver Enzyme Levels and Risk of Gestational Diabetes During a Subsequent Pregnancy
Liver enzymes are independent predictors of type 2 diabetes. Although liver fat content correlates with features of insulin resistance, a risk factor for developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the relationship between liver enzymes and GDM is unclear. The objective of…
Proteinuria testing among patients with diabetes mellitus is associated with bladder cancer diagnosis: potential for unmeasured confounding in studies of pioglitazone and bladder cancer
The observed association between pioglitazone and bladder cancer could be causal or because of bias in the design of prior studies. We hypothesize that proteinuria testing may lead to detection bias if routine test results for proteinuria lead to a…
Challenges conducting comparative effectiveness research: The Clinical and Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness (CHOICE) experience
The Clinical and Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness (CHOICE) program, which includes 12 ongoing comparative effectiveness research (CER) trials funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has had…
A pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial of diabetes prevention strategies for women with gestational diabetes: design and rationale of the Gestational Diabetes’ Effects on Moms (GEM) study
Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at high risk of developing diabetes later in life. After a GDM diagnosis, women receive prenatal care to control their blood glucose levels via diet, physical activity and medications. Continuing such lifestyle skills into…
Prepregnancy SHBG Concentrations and Risk for Subsequently Developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Lower levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) have been associated with increased risk of diabetes among postmenopausal women; however, it is unclear whether they are associated with glucose intolerance in younger women. We examined whether SHBG concentrations, measured before pregnancy,…
The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised: Measurement Invariance Across Racial and Ethnic Groups
The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIM-R), a brief instrument assessing affiliation with one's ethnic group, is a promising advance in the ethnic identity literature. However, equivalency of its measurement properties across specific racial and ethnic groups should be confirmed before…
Low Prepregnancy Adiponectin Concentrations Are Associated With a Marked Increase in Risk for Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
To examine whether circulating total and high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin concentrations, measured before pregnancy, are associated with subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This was a nested case-control study among women who participated in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California…
Cohort Study of Insulin Glargine and Risk of Breast, Prostate, and Colorectal Cancer Among Patients With Diabetes
To examine whether use of insulin glargine, compared with another long-acting insulin, is associated with risk of breast, prostate, colorectal cancer, or all cancers combined. Computerized health records from Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California regions starting in 2001 and…
Screening for impaired fasting glucose and diabetes using available health plan data
To develop and validate prediction equations to identify individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes using existing health plan data. Health plan data from 2005 to 2009 from 18,527 members of a Midwestern HMO without diabetes, 6% of whom…
Study Results Aid Understanding of Gestational Diabetes
A Division of Research study may lead toward less gestational diabetes. Interview by Lynn Mundell, editor, Inside KP Northern California Monique Hedderson, PhD, a research scientist at the region’s Division of Research (DOR), has been building her research career around…
Pre-Pregnancy Hormone Testing May Indicate Gestational Diabetes Risk
Kaiser Permanente Study Finds Low Adiponectin Levels Prior to Pregnancy Linked to High Risk of Gestational Diabetes OAKLAND, Calif. — Overweight women with low levels of the hormone adiponectin prior to pregnancy are nearly seven times more likely to develop…
Clinical predictors and significance of postvoid residual volume in women with diabetes
To identify women with diabetes at risk of increased postvoid residual volume (PVR) and investigate the relationship of increased PVR to urinary symptoms in women with diabetes. PVR was measured by bladder ultrasonography in a cross-sectional cohort of 427 middle-aged…
Risk of Large-for-Gestational-Age Newborns in Women With Gestational Diabetes by Race and Ethnicity and Body Mass Index Categories
OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) newborns across categories of body mass index (BMI) in five racial and ethnic groups. METHODS: This cohort study examined 7,468 women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who delivered a live newborn between…
Pregnancy Glycemia in Mexican-American Women Without Diabetes or Gestational Diabetes and Programming for Childhood Obesity
In the present study, we estimated the association between pregnancy glucose levels and offspring body mass index (BMI) z scores at 2, 3.5, 5, and 7 years of age, as well as z score trajectories across this age range, among…
Early-onset sepsis: a predictive model based on maternal risk factors
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a very low-incidence, but potentially fatal condition among term and late preterm newborns. EOS algorithms based on risk-factor threshold values result in evaluation and empiric antibiotic treatment of large numbers of uninfected…
Surgical outcomes of total knee replacement according to diabetes status and glycemic control, 2001 to 2009
BACKGROUND: Poor glycemic control in patients with diabetes may be associated with adverse surgical outcomes. We sought to determine the association of diabetes status and preoperative glycemic control with several surgical outcomes, including revision arthroplasty and deep infection. METHODS: We…
Impact of type 2 diabetes on lower urinary tract symptoms in men: a cohort study
BACKGROUND: Studies of the impact of type 2 diabetes on the prevalence and incidence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among men have provided divergent results. We sought to examine this issue using two large and diverse cohorts. METHODS: This…
Health-Plan and Employer-Based Wellness Programs to Reduce Diabetes Risk: The Kaiser Permanente Northern California NEXT-D Study
Primary prevention of diabetes is increasingly recognized by both health plans and employers as an important strategy to improve the health of insured populations. As a part of the Natural Experiments in Translation for Diabetes (NEXT-D) network, the Kaiser Permanente…
Patient Satisfaction and Perceived Success with a Telephonic Health Coaching Program: The Natural Experiments for Translation in Diabetes (NEXT-D) Study, Northern California, 2011
Health coaching can improve lifestyle behaviors known to prevent or manage chronic conditions such as diabetes. However, little is known about the patient experience with telephonic coaching programs in real-world care settings. We examined patient satisfaction, patient's perceived success in…
Pregnancy Glucose Levels in Women without Diabetes or Gestational Diabetes and Childhood Cardiometabolic Risk at 7 Years of Age
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between pregnancy glucose values in women without recognized pregestational diabetes or gestational diabetes and cardiometabolic risk in their children. STUDY DESIGN: This longitudinal cohort study of 211 Mexican American mother-child pairs participating in the Center…
Risk of preterm delivery in non-diabetic women with polycystic ovarian syndrome
OBJECTIVE: To examine the risk and etiology of preterm delivery in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study comparing preterm delivery rate among non-diabetic PCOS and non-PCOS women with singleton pregnancy. Multivariable logistic regression was used…
Sex ratio variations among the offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy
AIMS: It has long been hypothesized that natural selection would favour a reproductive strategy biased towards females under adverse circumstances in order to maximize the number of surviving grandchildren. An excess of daughters in women with Type 1 diabetes and…
Diabetes mellitus and sexual function in middle-aged and older women
Diabetes mellitus is an established risk factor for sexual dysfunction in men, but its effect on female sexual function is poorly understood. We examined the relationship of diabetes to sexual function in middle-aged and older women. Sexual function was examined…
Influence of breastfeeding during the postpartum oral glucose tolerance test on plasma glucose and insulin
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of breastfeeding during the postpartum oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on maternal blood glucose and insulin among women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Participants were enrolled in the Study of Women, Infant Feeding, and…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes by BMI
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and BMI category varies by racial/ethnic group. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a cohort of 123,040 women without recognized pregravid diabetes who delivered babies between 1995 and 2006 at…
Referral to telephonic nurse management improves outcomes in women with gestational diabetes
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether, among women with gestational diabetes mellitus, referral to a telephonic nurse management program was associated with lower risk of macrosomia and increased postpartum glucose testing. STUDY DESIGN: There was medical center-level variation in the…
Telephone Contact with Nurses is Associated with Improved Outcomes
OAKLAND, Calif., May 25, 2012– Among women with gestational diabetes mellitus, referral to a telephone-based nurse management program was associated with lower risk of high baby birth weight and increased postpartum glucose testing, according to Kaiser Permanente researchers. Investigators for…
Body Mass Index (BMI) Thresholds for Increased Risk of Gestational Diabetes
OAKLAND, Calif., May 22, 2012 – Body Mass Index (BMI) thresholds for increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) vary by racial/ethnic group, according to Kaiser Permanente Division of Research investigators. Asian and Filipina women had an increased risk of GDM…
Lactation Intensity and Postpartum Maternal Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Resistance in Women With Recent GDM: The SWIFT cohort
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between breastfeeding intensity in relation to maternal blood glucose and insulin and glucose intolerance based on the postpartum 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results at 6-9 weeks after a pregnancy with gestational diabetes…
A genome-wide association search for type 2 diabetes genes in african americans
African Americans are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2DM) yet few studies have examined T2DM using genome-wide association approaches in this ethnicity. The aim of this study was to identify genes associated with T2DM in the African American population.…
Fully or Mostly Breastfeeding Women Have Lowest Blood Sugar Levels After a Gestational Diabetes Pregnancy
OAKLAND, Calif. – Breastfeeding with no or little formula supplementation was associated with lower fasting blood glucose and lower insulin levels at 6-9 weeks postpartum, according to Kaiser Permanente Researchers. They explain that this suggests that breastfeeding a child has…
Pregravid cardiometabolic risk profile and risk for gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine pregravid cardiometabolic profile and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). STUDY DESIGN: GDM cases (n = 199) and control subjects (n = 381) were selected from a cohort of women…
A pregnancy and postpartum lifestyle intervention in women with gestational diabetes mellitus reduces diabetes risk factors: a feasibility randomized control trial
OBJECTIVE: To pilot, among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the feasibility of a prenatal/postpartum intervention to modify diet and physical activity similar to the Diabetes Prevention Program. The intervention was delivered by telephone, and support for breastfeeding was addressed.…
Recently published: Three studies advance gestational diabetes research
Researchers at the Division of Research have conducted recently published observational research that underscores the importance of reducing the risk of diabetes during pregnancy — also called gestational diabetes (GDM). GDM, glucose intolerance that typically occurs during the second or…
Change in body mass index between pregnancies and the risk of gestational diabetes in a second pregnancy
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association between interpregnancy change in body mass index (BMI) and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a second pregnancy. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort analysis of 22,351 women, logistic regression models provided adjusted estimates…
Routinely Assessed Measures of Blood Sugar and Body Weight may be Good Indicators of Risk for Developing Diabetes During Pregnancy
A woman’s risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy can be identified up to seven years before she becomes pregnant based on routinely assessed measures of blood sugar and body weight, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the online…
Lifestyle Interventions in Women with Gestational Diabetes May Prevent Diabetes by Reducing Pregnancy Weight Retention and Helping Overweight Women Lose Weight
OAKLAND, Calif., -- In women with gestational diabetes, a lifestyle intervention, including modified diet and physical activity that starts during pregnancy and continues postpartum is feasible and may prevent diabetes by reducing pregnancy weight retention and help overweight women lose…
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in mothers and time to pregnancy in daughters
Developmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) disrupts reproduction in animals. Human data are lacking. We measured PCBs in preserved mothers' serum samples collected during 1960-1963, 1-3 days after their daughters' birth. We recorded time to pregnancy (TTP) in 289 daughters…
Risk of bladder cancer among diabetic patients treated with pioglitazone: interim report of a longitudinal cohort study
OBJECTIVE: Some preclinical in vivo studies and limited human data suggest a possible increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone therapy. This is an interim report of an ongoing cohort study examining the association between pioglitazone therapy and the risk…
Cohort study of pioglitazone and cancer incidence in patients with diabetes
OBJECTIVE: To explore whether treatment with pioglitazone was associated with risk of incident cancer at the 10 most common sites (prostate, female breast, lung/bronchus, endometrial, colon, non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], pancreas, kidney/renal pelvis, rectal, and melanoma). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A…
Diabetes and risk of bladder cancer: evidence from a case-control study in New England
BACKGROUND: Diabetes is an emerging public health issue in the US, affecting 11% of Americans over the age of 20, with long-term complications that include cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. A recent meta-analysis found that bladder cancer incidence was…
The risk of large for gestational age across increasing categories of pregnancy glycemia
OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the risk of large for gestational age (LGA) across categories of glucose tolerance. STUDY DESIGN: In a cohort of 89,141 participants, women without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were categorized by their screening and diagnostic test…
Strategies for diabetes prevention before and after pregnancy in women with GDM
Interventions for lifestyle modification promoting weight loss and pharmacotherapy interventions for improving insulin sensitivity have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in high risk populations. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus…
Newly funded: Research to help new moms with gestational diabetes gets start with $8.5M grant
A wanted pregnancy is among life’s most joyful events. But for about 7 percent of expectant mothers in the United States pregnancy brings the unexpected diagnosis of gestational diabetes. While the exact cause of gestational diabetes, a temporary condition, remains…
Gestational diabetes: Comparing treatment options
Comparative effectiveness research is a big term for a simple idea. How do health care providers like Kaiser Permanente decide which treatment for a problem is best? The National Institutes of Health, as part of its goal to help health…
Study of Women, Infant Feeding, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus after GDM pregnancy (SWIFT), a prospective cohort study: methodology and design
BACKGROUND: Women with history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 years after delivery. Evidence that lactation duration influences incident type 2 diabetes after GDM pregnancy is based on one retrospective…
Serial glycosylated hemoglobin levels and risk of colorectal neoplasia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia may increase the risk of colorectal neoplasia by serving as an energy source for neoplastic growth. We sought to determine whether glycemic control measured by serial hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was associated with the risk of colorectal adenoma. METHODS:…
Thiazolidinediones and fractures: evidence from translating research into action for diabetes
BACKGROUND: Thiazolidinedione (TZD) treatment has been associated with fractures. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between TZD treatment and fractures in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Using data from Translating Research into Action for Diabetes, a…
Disparities in the risk of gestational diabetes by race-ethnicity and country of birth
Little information exists on the association between maternal country of birth and risk of gestational diabetes (GDM). We examined within each race-ethnicity group whether the risk of GDM differs between women born inside and outside the US. The study was…
Gestational weight gain and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the relationship between the rate of gestational weight gain before the 50-g, 1-hour oral glucose challenge test screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and subsequent risk of GDM. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study (345 women…
Gestational diabetes during and after pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is becoming an increasingly prevalent disease as obesity and other chronic diseases are on the rise. It requires careful and informed clinical management as the care received during pregnancy affects not only perinatal health but the risk…
Patients diagnosed with diabetes are at increased risk for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and pneumonia but not lung cancer
OBJECTIVE: There are limited data on the risk of pulmonary disease in patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the incidence of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia, and lung cancer…
The association of patient-physician gender concordance with cardiovascular disease risk factor control and treatment in diabetes
BACKGROUND: Gender concordance between patients and their physicians is related to prevention screening and other quality indicators. Research suggests female physicians may place greater emphasis on preventive care than male physicians; however, little is known about whether physician gender and…
Trends in postpartum diabetes screening and subsequent diabetes and impaired fasting glucose among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus: A report from the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) Study
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine trends in postpartum glucose screening for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), predictors of screening, trends in postpartum impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes, and diabetes and pre-diabetes detected by postpartum…
Thiazolidinedione therapy is not associated with increased colonic neoplasia risk in patients with diabetes mellitus
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Thiazolidinedione ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), are used to treat diabetes. PPARgamma is highly expressed in the colon, and exposure to thiazolidinediones has been proposed to affect the risk for colorectal neoplasia. In vitro models…
High blood pressure before and during early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: While women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are more likely to display features of the metabolic syndrome, including hypertension, in the years after delivery, it is unclear whether these components are also present before pregnancy. We examined the…
Predicting significant hyperbilirubinaemia using birth weight
BACKGROUND: A recent study proposed a risk factor scoring system for prediction of hyperbilirubinaemia that assigned increased risk to infants of higher birth weight. OBJECTIVE: To investigate this novel finding in a large, retrospective cohort analysis. METHODS: 105 384 newborns…
Body mass index and weight gain prior to pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate obesity and rate of weight change during the 5 years before pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a nested case-control study. STUDY DESIGN: GDM cases (n = 251)…
Glycemic status and risk of prostate cancer
BACKGROUND: To examine the risk of prostate cancer and glucose tolerance in a large, racially diverse cohort. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of 47,209 male members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who had completed at least one Multiphasic Health…
Sex disparities in control and treatment of modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors among patients with diabetes: Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) Study
OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has decreased in men but not in women with diabetes. We investigated whether sex differences in control and treatment of CVD risk factors might underlie this disparity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed cross-sectional analyses…
Understanding the gap between good processes of diabetes care and poor intermediate outcomes: Translating Research into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD)
BACKGROUND: Performance of diabetes clinical care processes has improved recently, but control of hemoglobin A1c (A1c) and other vascular disease risk factors has improved more slowly. OBJECTIVES: To identify patient factors associated with control of vascular disease risk factors among…
Medical therapy for diabetes is associated with increased use of lower endoscopy
BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia and diabetes medications may further influence the risk. Observational studies of the effect of diabetes medications on colonic neoplasia may be biased if use of diabetes medications is…
Preventive counseling among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between recall of recommendations for diabetes prevention and both health behaviors and screening among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We surveyed 228…
Risk perception for diabetes among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: To examine risk perception for diabetes among women with histories of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We surveyed 217 women with histories of GDM who were enrolled in a managed-care plan and who did not currently…
Androgenicity of progestins in hormonal contraceptives and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
OBJECTIVE: There is some evidence that use of hormonal contraceptives, particularly the more androgenic formulations, can alter a woman's glucose tolerance. We examined the association between hormonal contraceptive use, categorized by the androgenicity of the progestin component, and risk of…
Pregnancy plasma glucose levels exceeding the American Diabetes Association thresholds, but below the National Diabetes Data Group thresholds for gestational diabetes mellitus, are related to the risk of neonatal macrosomia, hypoglycaemia and hyperbilirubinaemia
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a risk factor for perinatal complications. In several countries, the criteria for the diagnosis of GDM have been in flux, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) thresholds recommended in 2000 being lower than those of…
Pregnancy weight gain and risk of neonatal complications: macrosomia, hypoglycemia, and hyperbilirubinemia
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether pregnancy weight gains outside the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations and rates of maternal weight gain are associated with neonatal complications. METHODS: In a cohort of 45,245 women who delivered singletons at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care…
Who is tested for diabetic kidney disease and who initiates treatment? The Translating Research Into Action For Diabetes (TRIAD) Study
OBJECTIVE: We examined factors associated with screening for albuminuria and initiation of ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment in diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted surveys and medical record reviews for 5,378 patients participating in a…
Comparison of glyburide and insulin for the management of gestational diabetes in a large managed care organization
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare the use of glyburide with insulin for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) unresponsive to diet therapy. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed among women with singleton pregnancies who had GDM…
Achieving good glycemic control: initiation of new antihyperglycemic therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic therapies in type 2 diabetic patients with poor glycemic control (baseline glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1C] > 8%). STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal (cohort) study. METHODS: Study patients were 4775 type 2 diabetic patients who initiated new…
Preconception care in managed care: the translating research into action for diabetes study
OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to examine the rates of preconception counseling in managed care for women with diabetes and associated patient and physician characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: Participants included women aged 18 to 45 years enrolled in a study of…
An increase in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus: Northern California, 1991-2000
OBJECTIVE: Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their offspring are at increased risk of developing diabetes. Although increases in diabetes prevalence have been reported in the United States, it is unknown whether this trend is also occurring for GDM.…
Gestational Diabetes Increases 35% in 10 Years
GDM - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Kaiser Permanente Research shows risky condition becoming more prevalent in younger pregnant women. Oakland, CA—Kaiser Permanente researchers studying 267,000 women of various ethnic groups have found that the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increased…
Missed appointments and poor glycemic control: an opportunity to identify high-risk diabetic patients
OBJECTIVE: When patients miss scheduled medical appointments, continuity and effectiveness of healthcare delivery is reduced, appropriate monitoring of health status lapses, and the cost of health services increases. We evaluated the relationship between missed appointments and glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin…
Gestational diabetes mellitus and lesser degrees of pregnancy hyperglycemia: association with increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether different degrees of maternal glucose intolerance are associated with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth. METHODS: We performed a cohort study of 46,230 pregnancies screened by a 50-g, 1-hour oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and…
Out-of-pocket costs and diabetes preventive services: the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study
OBJECTIVE: Despite the increased shifting of health care costs to consumers, little is known about the impact of financial barriers on health care utilization. This study investigated the effect of out-of-pocket expenditures on the utilization of recommended diabetes preventive services.…
Use of antibiotics is not associated with decreased risk of myocardial infarction among patients with diabetes
OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between exposure to antibiotic treatment and risk of subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A case-control design was used to assess the effect of previous antibiotic exposure in diabetes…
DDT and DDE exposure in mothers and time to pregnancy in daughters
Reproductive-tract anomalies after administration of the potent oestrogen, diethylstilboestrol, in pregnant women raised concerns about the reproductive effects of exposure to weakly oestrogenic environmental contaminants such as bis[4-chlorophenyl]-1,1,1-trichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) or its metabolites, such as bis[4-chlorophenyl]-1,1-dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE). We measured p,p'-DDT and…
Current use of unopposed estrogen and estrogen plus progestin and the risk of acute myocardial infarction among women with diabetes: the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry, 1995-1998
BACKGROUND: Little is known about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and risk for myocardial infarction (MI) in diabetic women. We examined associations of current HRT, estrogen dosage, and time since HRT initiation with risk of acute MI in diabetic women. METHODS…
Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus detected by the national diabetes data group or the carpenter and coustan plasma glucose thresholds
OBJECTIVE: In 2000, the American Diabetes Association proposed the adoption of the Carpenter and Coustan criteria for diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The Carpenter and Coustan cutoffs are lower than the previously recommended National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) values…
Ethnic disparities in diabetic complications in an insured population
CONTEXT: Higher rates of microvascular complications have been reported for minorities. Disparate access to quality health care is a common explanation for ethnic disparities in diabetic complication rates in the US population. Examining an ethnically diverse population with uniform health…
Developing a prediction rule from automated clinical databases to identify high-risk patients in a large population with diabetes
OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a prediction rule for identifying diabetic patients at high short-term risk of complications using automated data in a large managed care organization. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort analyses were performed in 57,722 diabetic members…
Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and glycemic control: the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes registry
PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of self-monitoring blood glucose levels to improve glycemic control. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cohort design was used to assess the relation between self-monitoring frequency (1996 average daily glucometer strip utilization) and the first…
Hormone replacement therapy is associated with better glycemic control in women with type 2 diabetes: The Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry
OBJECTIVE: In women with diabetes, the changes that accompany menopause may further diminish glycemic control. Little is known about how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) affects glucose metabolism in diabetes. The aim of this study was to examine whether HbA(1c) levels…
Glycemic control and heart failure among adult patients with diabetes
BACKGROUND: Glycemic control is associated with microvascular events, but its effect on the risk of heart failure is not well understood. We examined the association between hemoglobin (Hb) A(Ic) and the risk of heart failure hospitalization and/or death in a…
Self-monitoring of blood glucose: language and financial barriers in a managed care population with diabetes
OBJECTIVE: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a cornerstone of diabetes care, but little is known about barriers to this self-care practice. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study examines SMBG practice patterns and barriers in 44,181 adults with pharmacologically…
Excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes. The Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry
OBJECTIVE: To assess excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes in a multiethnic cohort. Previous studies have reported higher prevalence of diabetes among mothers of probands with type 2 diabetes than among fathers. This analysis is vulnerable to biases, and…