Increasing Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy-Related Hypertension in Los Angeles County, California, 1991–2003

IntroductionGestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension can lead to adverse health effects in mothers and infants. We assessed recent trends in the rates of these conditions in Los Angeles County, California.MethodsHospital discharge data were used to identify all women aged 15–54 years who resided in the county, had a singleton delivery from 1991 through 2003, and had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related hypertension listed as a discharge diagnosis at the time of delivery. The prevalence of each condition was calculated by calendar year, race/ethnicity, and age group. Temporal trends in the rates were assessed by using negative binomial regression models, controlling for race/ethnicity and age. Separate models were run for each racial/ethnic and age group.ResultsThe age-adjusted prevalence of gestational diabetes increased more than threefold (from 14.5 cases per 1000 women in 1991 to 47.9 cases per 1000 in 2003). The age-adjusted prevalence of pregnancy-related hypertension also increased (from 40.5 cases per 1000 in 1991 to 54.4 cases per 1000 in 2003). In the multivariable regression analysis, the annual rate increase for gestational diabetes was 8.3% overall and was highest among Hispanics (9.9%). The annual rate increase for pregnancy-related hypertension was 2.8% overall and was highest among blacks (4.8%).ConclusionThe rates of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension are increasing in Los Angeles County. Further research is needed to determine the causes of the observed increases and the growing racial/ethnic disparities in those rates

Declines in Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Children in Los Angeles County, 2007 and 2011

This study assessed changes in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among children (aged ≤17 years) in Los Angeles County. We analyzed children’s data from the 2007 (n = 5,595) and 2011 (n = 5,934) Los Angeles County Health Survey. The percentage of children who consumed 1 or more SSB per day decreased from 43.3% in 2007 to 38.3% in 2011 (P < .001); this decrease was seen across most sociodemographic subgroups. Despite measurable progress in reducing SSB consumption among children in Los Angeles County, consumption remains high, highlighting the need for additional policy and programmatic interventions

Cost-effectiveness of different strategies to monitor adults on antiretroviral treatment: a combined analysis of three mathematical models

Background: WHO's 2013 revisions to its Consolidated Guidelines on antiretroviral drugs recommend routine viral load monitoring, rather than clinical or immunological monitoring, as the preferred monitoring approach on the basis of clinical evidence. However, HIV programmes in resource-limited settings require guidance on the most cost-effective use of resources in view of other competing priorities such as expansion of antiretroviral therapy coverage. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of alternative patient monitoring strategies. Methods: We evaluated a range of monitoring strategies, including clinical, CD4 cell count, and viral load monitoring, alone and together, at different frequencies and with different criteria for switching to second-line therapies. We used three independently constructed and validated models simultaneously. We estimated costs on the basis of resource use projected in the models and associated unit costs; we quantified impact as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. We compared alternatives using incremental cost-effectiveness analysis. Findings: All models show that clinical monitoring delivers significant benefit compared with a hypothetical baseline scenario with no monitoring or switching. Regular CD4 cell count monitoring confers a benefit over clinical monitoring alone, at an incremental cost that makes it affordable in more settings than viral load monitoring, which is currently more expensive. Viral load monitoring without CD4 cell count every 6–12 months provides the greatest reductions in morbidity and mortality, but incurs a high cost per DALY averted, resulting in lost opportunities to generate health gains if implemented instead of increasing antiretroviral therapy coverage or expanding antiretroviral therapy eligibility. Interpretation: The priority for HIV programmes should be to expand antiretroviral therapy coverage, firstly at CD4 cell count lower than 350 cells per μL, and then at a CD4 cell count lower than 500 cells per μL, using lower-cost clinical or CD4 monitoring. At current costs, viral load monitoring should be considered only after high antiretroviral therapy coverage has been achieved. Point-of-care technologies and other factors reducing costs might make viral load monitoring more affordable in future. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO