(P07-064-23) Neighborhood Social Determinants of Health, Diet Quality, and Gestational Diabetes Risk in Urban Pregnant Women

Objectives: To examine associations between neighborhood level social determinants of health, diet quality, and gestational diabetes (GDM) risk factors by race/ethnicity.

Methods: We analyzed data from 39 pregnant women enrolled in a longitudinal study conducted at a public academic hospital in Chicago, IL. We examined associations between race and ethnicity with 1) participants’ neighborhood social determinants of health, including low food access, % of residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, easy access to fruits and vegetables, diet-related disease mortality, unemployment rate, and insurance rate; 2) diet quality via the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Healthy Eating Index (HEI); and 3) pre-pregnancy BMI and 1-hour glucose challenge test (GCT) at 24-28 weeks gestational age. Descriptive, correlative, and inferential statistics were conducted.

Results: Of the 39 participants, 44% self-identified as Black, 36% as Hispanic/Latino, and 20% as White. Diet-related disease mortality, food access, uninsured and unemployment rates, DII score, and BMI were statistically significantly different between race/ethnicity. Specifically, Black participants had higher BMI (p=0.013) compared to White participants and higher DII scores compared to Hispanic/Latino participants (p=0.008). Black participants lived in neighborhoods with higher diet-related disease mortality (p=0.01), lower food access (p=0.035), and lower uninsurance rate (p=0.029) compared to Hispanic/Latino participants while also living in areas with higher unemployment rates (p=0.049) compared to White participants. Although Black participants in the study were living in communities with limited resources compared with other groups, their risk of elevated levels of blood glucose was not statistically different compared with White or Hispanic/Latino women.

Conclusions: While our sample is small, our results indicate that structural inequalities might not condition the risk of GDM in healthy pregnant individuals. However, results underscore the importance of providing resources to minoritized women before or in early pregnancy to reduce the risk associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as GDM.

Funding Sources: UIC Bridge to Faculty Program, K12 BIRCWH: HD101373, and R03:HD09056