Risk Factors and Diabetes Mellitus (Statistical Study of Adults in Lahore, Pakistan)

Abstract

The effect of different risk factors on diabetes was estimated in a cross-sectional hospital based study both with descriptive and analytic components. Sample of 580 persons aged 20 years and above (153 men, 427 women) entering the diabetic center as outdoor persons during the months March 2002 – August 2002 was taken. Urine and blood glucose test were performed and the diagnoses of diabetes was made according to W.H.O. criteria. Heights, weights, BMI and blood pressure of the study population were recorded. The chi–square test was used to measure the association among the different variables and logistic regression technique was applied to check the main significant risk factors and for the prediction of model. The researcher by using a standard questionnaire, collected information’s regarding the risk factors from the subjects. In complete sample analysis, the factors obesity (O.R=2.204, P=0.000), Exercise (O.R= 0.173, P=0.000) and hypertension (O.R=1.056, P=0.004) were significant. But exercise was negatively associated while hypertension and obesity were positively associated with DM. In males only family history of diabetes is the main significant risk factor, which was positively associated with DM, and in females exercise, obesity and hypertension were the significant risk factors where as obesity and hypertension in females were positively associated while exercise as in the complete sample analysis was negatively associated. The study highlighted the results that DM is not due to any single risk factor but this disease may cause due to more than one risk factors. As in this study and other studies in Pakistan it is observed that obesity is the main cause of diabetes.