Ethnicity and diabetes prevention in women during pregnancy and postpartum

Women from non-European backgrounds, such as Asian women, are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) as compared to those from European background. Healthy lifestyle behaviours, including optimised diet and increased physical activity, can prevent T2DM by about 50% in high-risk people. However, little is known about how to implement effective interventions during and after pregnancy for women from diverse ethnic backgrounds to prevent GDM and T2DM. This thesis generates new evidence to inform the development of effective lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention among pregnant and postpartum women from different ethnic backgrounds.