British Pakistani women with gestational diabetes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
British-Pakistani women with Gestational Diabetes: Understanding the antenatal and postnatal factors contributing to their future risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
IRAS ID
356691
Contact name
Ifra Ali
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Warwick, Warwick Medical School
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
What is the problem?
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes that women can develop during pregnancy. Many women who develop GDM are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) after they give birth. South Asian women - including those from Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Sri Lankan background in the UK are more likely to develop GDM and T2DM compared to other ethnic groups, due to a mix of factors such as genetics, lifestyles and how they use healthcare services. Research has shown British-Pakistani women (BPW) have an increased risk of developing GDM and T2DM afterwards compared to some other ethnic groups. However, past research has grouped all South Asian women together - this means we do not fully understand the specific experiences and needs of BPW with GDM which may be contributing to their high risk of developing T2DM after pregnancy. This insight could help improve their GDM care and outcomes.
What will we do?
Our study aims to address the information gap we have about BPW with GDM, to help us understand how we can improve their care and outcomes, including their future high risk of T2DM. The study has four work packages:
1. Survey BPW who have GDM (or recently had) to understand what they know about the condition (work package 1).
2. NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme: We will use data from NHS England to see how many BPW join and complete this programme after pregnancy. The programme gives lifestyle support to prevent type 2 diabetes, and all women with GDM are referred to it after birth (work package 2).
3. Interview BPW and healthcare professionals about their experiences with GDM (work package 3).
4. Hold workshops with BPW and healthcare staff to discuss our findings and produce recommendations for how GDM care could be improved for this community (work package 4).REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/LO/0128
Date of REC Opinion
27 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion