A population-based study of the prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus in Southern Taiwan

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major health care problems in Taiwan, since the mortality rate has increased from 7.91 per 100000 in 1980 to 35.1 per 100000 in 1996. To determine the prevalence of diabetes in southern Taiwan and to investigate possible associated factors, a stratified systematic cluster sampling of 1638 subjects (780 men and 858 women) aged ≤20 years living in Tainan city was investigated with a standard 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. The crude prevalence of diabetes in Tainan was 9.0% (10.3% men and 7.9% women) and the age-adjusted prevalence was 9.2% (10.4% men and 8.1% women). The crude prevalence of IGT was 14.0% (13.8% men and 14.1% women), and the age-adjusted prevalence was 15.5% (15.0% men and 15.9% women). The prevalence of diabetes by using the revised new diagnostic criteria was 7.5%. The prevalence of diabetes and IGT increased significantly with age for both genders, although the rises in prevalence of IGT in women was less consistent. Diabetic and IGT subjects were older and had higher levels of BMI, triglyceride, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia but indulged in less physical activity than non-diabetic subjects. The significant factors associated with the newly diagnosed diabetes were age, family history of DM, BMI, systolic blood pressure, physical activity, and serum triglyceride levels.