Gestational Diabetes Significantly Associated With Food Insecurity and Insurance Status in the United States ID 2683536

INTRODUCTION: Gestational diabetes (GD) is on the rise in the United States, posing risks to women's cardiovascular health, pregnancy, and their offspring's well-being. We sought to characterize the association between food insecurity and health care access and GD prevalence. METHODS: We analyzed data from 29,732 females aged 18+ in the 2021–2022 National Health Interview Survey to determine the prevalence of self-reported GD and its relationship with food security and health insurance status. We used χ 2 tests to compare GD rates across different food security classifications and insurance statuses. Additionally, we cross-examined GD rates within food security groups based on insurance coverage. RESULTS: The overall GD prevalence among females was 5.70%. Stratified by food security, significant differences emerged ( P <.05): 5.23% for high security, 7.99% for marginal security, 7.72% for low security, and 11.85% for very low security. We observed significant differences in GD rates by insurance coverage ( P <.05): 5.57% for insured and 7.72% for uninsured respondents. Notably, when individuals were not highly food secure, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of GD between those who were insured or uninsured. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the significant associations between food insecurity, insurance coverage, and GD prevalence, although our cross-sectional analysis indicated that food insecurity may be the more salient factor. To combat GD's rise, policies should prioritize providing nutritious food access to pregnant women, potentially through mobile food units. Further research should explore whether food insecurity causally affects GD.