Effect of internal migration on diabetes and metabolic abnormalities in India - The ICMR-INDIAB study

• Published in: Journal of diabetes and its complications Vol. 35; no. 12; p. 108051
• Main Authors: Pradeepa, Rajendra, Subashini, Radhakrishnan, Venkatesan, Ulagamathesan, Ningombam, Somorjit, Purty, Anil, John, Mary, Reang, Taranga, Luaia, Rosang, Tripathy, Saroj Kumar, Modi, Sagar, Mokta, Jatinder Kumar, Desai, Ankush, Dash, Kalpana, Deepa, Mohan, Nirmal, Elangovan, Unnikrishnan, Ranjit, Anjana, Ranjit Mohan, Kaur, Tanvir, Dhaliwal, Rupinder Singh, Mohan, Viswanathan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Blood pressure; Blood vessels; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; Censuses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Fasting; Female; Glucose; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; India; India - epidemiology; INDIAB; Male; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Migration; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Population; Prevalence; Questionnaires; Response rates; Risk Factors; Rural areas; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Sample size; Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data; Urban areas; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Urbanization; India; Tamil Nadu India; Hypertension; Obesity; Diabetes; Migration; INDIAB; India
• ISSN: 1056-8727; 1873-460X; 1873-460X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2021.108051

To assess the effect of migration (rural-to-urban and vice versa) on prevalence of diabetes and metabolic disorders in Asian Indians participating in the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study. The ICMR–INDIAB study is a national study on diabetes and associated cardiometabolic disorders in individuals aged ≥20 years from 28 states and 2 union territories of India. Individuals who moved to a different place from their place of birth and had resided in the new location for at least one year were considered as migrants. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure estimation and a capillary oral glucose tolerance test were performed. Of the 113,043 participants, 66.4% were non-migrant rural dwellers, 19.4% non-migrant urban dwellers, 8.4% rural-urban migrants, 3.8% multiple migrants and 2.0% urban-rural migrants. Weighted prevalence of diabetes was highest in rural-urban migrants followed by urban dwellers, urban-rural migrants and rural dwellers [14.7%, 13.2%, 12.7% and 7.7% respectively (p < 0.001)]. Rural-urban migrants had highest prevalence of abdominal obesity (50.5%) compared to the other three groups. The risk for diabetes was 1.9 times higher in rural-urban migrants than among rural dwellers. Five risk factors [hypertension, abdominal and generalized obesity, physical inactivity and low fruit and vegetable intake] together explained 69.8% (partial population attributable risk) of diabetes among rural-urban migrants and 66.4% among non-migrant urban dwellers. Rural-to-urban migration is associated with increased risk of developing diabetes and other cardiometabolic abnormalities. Adoption of healthier lifestyle patterns among migrants could help prevent/delay onset of these abnormalities in this population. •Increased rural-urban migration in India during the last decade may increase the risk of diabetes,obesity, and hypertension.•Prevalence/risk of diabetes, obesity and hypertension are higher in non-migrant urban dwellers and rural-urban migrants.•Prevention programmes emphasizing healthy lifestyle for those living in the urban settings are the need of the hour!