PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF PREDIABETES AMONG ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF OF A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTRE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes mellitus. Inadequate moderate-intensity physical activity, amidst other risk factors, is a well-documented risk factor for prediabetes. Hospital administrative staff can be particularly vulnerable to prediabetes because of the greater number of hours spent in a sitting or sedentary position during administrative duties. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of prediabetes and to determine its predictors among administrative staff of a tertiary health centre in southwestern Nigeria.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 300 administrative staff of the University College Hospital, Ibadan over a period of three months. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that was adapted from the generic WHO-STEPs instrument approach to surveillance of chronic non-communicable diseases risk factors. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. Descriptive analyses were performed to estimate the prevalence of prediabetes while the independent predictors of prediabetes were investigated using multinomial logistic regression model. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

The mean age of participants was 51.2 ± 5.3 years. There were 164 (54.7%) males and 136 (45.3%) females that participated in the study. The prevalence of prediabetes was 22.3%. Based on the final multivariable multinomial model, the independent predictors of prediabetes included; male sex (OR= 1.24; 95% CI= 1.082 - 2.460), positive family history of diabetes mellitus (OR= 1.57; 95% CI= 1.088 - 2.611), alcohol intake (OR= 1.13; 95% CI= 0.688 - 1.543) and inadequate moderate-intensity physical activity (OR= 1.49; 95% CI= 1.027 - 2.936).

There was a high prevalence of prediabetes among the administrative staff of University College Hospital, Ibadan. Regular screening of hospital employees for prediabetes is highly recommended. Work-place exercise should be advocated to improve moderate-intensity physical activity among hospital employees.