Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among people attending medical camps in South Chennai, India

Abstract

Background: As per the International Diabetes Federation (2013), nearly 65.1 million people were living in India with diabetes. Prevalence of diabetes in Tamil Nadu, especially around Chennai is rising and is a major public health challenge. Aim and Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and to compare the prevalence in relation to gender, age and area. Methodology: A cross- sectional record based study done on 1056 people attending medical camps conducted by Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital , in various locations of South Chennai.The data regarding Random Blood Sugar (RBS), age, gender and camp site were collected from the camp register (October 2014 to June 2015). An RBS glucometer value of > 200 mg/dl was defined as having diabetic. Descriptive analysis and Chi square test done to see the statistical significance between various parameters. Results: Among study population, 453 (42.9%) were males and 603 (57.1%) females. The overall prevalence of diabetes was 11.8%. Tambaram area showed highest prevalence of 27.3%. Prevalence in males (12.4%) versus females (11.4%) [p- 0.647], above 45 years (12.6%) versus below 45 years (10.4%) [p- 0.303], and urban (13.2%) versus rural (11%) [p- 0.291]. Mean RBS values > 45 years (141.21) versus < 45 years (122.57) [p- 0.0001]. Positive correlation between age and blood sugar levels were observed (r = 0.07; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Prevalence of diabetes was 11.8% which is higher than the existing documented prevalence of 10.4%. Hence more awareness creation and preventive measures needs to be targeted in this population to reduce the disease burden.