Mean VAI in women with prior GDM was significantly higher than the non-GDM group (19.7, 95%CI: 6.24, 33.15, P = 0.004), although both groups overtime experienced a negative trend (− 10.9, 95%CI: -13.1, − 2.1, P < 0.001); the GDM group showed a higher decrease in VAI (mean changes: -6.62; 95% CI, − 11,-2.1; P interaction = 0.001).
Our findings showed that while LAP and ABSI had an increasing trend over time, the trend of VAI significantly decreased in both GDM and non-GDM groups, results which may highly correlate with the increasing trend of TG, BMI and WC overtime reported by other studies [ 28 – 30 ].
While overall odds of obesity in women with prior GDM were significantly higher those of the non-GDM groups (OR: 1.35; 95% CI, 1.03–1.7; P = 0.03), both these groups overtime revealed a positive trend in obesity (P trend < 0.001), an incremental trend which was less pronounced in GDM women (OR: 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80, 0.95; P interaction = 0.001).