Risk Assessment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Adults in Western Rajasthan: A Cross-sectional Survey

Diabetes has emerged as a major health challenge, evident by the rapid rise of cases. As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), high blood sugar levels have been reported among 13.5% of Indian women and 15.6% of Indian men. However, nearly half of the population with diabetes is estimated to be undetected, especially adults. Diabetes-related comorbidities can be prevented by detecting the high risk at an early stage through assessment and screening of this large pool of adults.

The objective of this study was to assess the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)among the adult population.

A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, including 271 adults selected using a multistage sampling method. Data were collected through an interview schedule consisting of sociodemographic characteristics and assessment of lifestyle and behavioral, physical, and biochemical parameters. The Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IRDS) was used to assess the risk of diabetes. Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS version 25.

The adults' mean age was 40.64 ± 13.21 years, and 26.5% of them mentioned having a family history of T2DM. In this location, most adults have a moderate (40%) to high (31%) risk of developing T2DM. About 25.5% of the adults have other co-morbidities. Age, gender, education, occupation, comorbidity, family history of diabetes, history of tobacco, physical activity, and body mass index were significantly associated with an increased risk for developing diabetes ( P < 0.05).

A significant proportion of the adults were found to have a high-to-moderate risk. Poor lifestyle behaviors can further aggravate the situation. This calls for an urgent action plan to promote lifestyle behavior modifications and combat the ever-increasing burden of diabetes among this age group.