Objective: The aim of this was to study the prevalence of diabetes in the rural adult population of Haryana, India.
Research design and methods: A total of 2606 adults aged ≥ 18 years were randomly selected from two rural blocks of Haryana State. Those without diabetes were subjected to a 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test. Demographic, socioeconomic, and anthropometric details along with blood pressure and physical activity were recorded, and their association with the prevalence of diabetes was studied.
Results: The prevalence of newly detected diabetes was 7.3%, whereas the overall prevalence of known and newly detected diabetes was 13.3%. Multiple logistic analysis showed a statistically significant association between the prevalence of diabetes and increasing age, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), positive family history of diabetes, low level of physical activity, and systolic blood pressure. No significant association was observed with education level and socioeconomic status.
Conclusions: The prevalence of diabetes is rising, even in the rural population of Haryana. A positive family history of diabetes, low physical activity, and high WHR are strong predictors of diabetes in tested adult rural population of Haryana.