The prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the rural population of Durango, Mexico

• Published in: Revista panamericana de salud pública Vol. 2; no. 6; pp. 386 - 391
• Main Authors: Guerrero Romero, J F, Rodríguez Morán, M, Sandoval Herrera, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: United States 01.12.1997
• Subjects: Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Confidence Intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Mexico - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Sex Distribution; Mexico
• ISSN: 1020-4989

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in rural inhabitants of Durango, Mexico, and some of the risk factors for the disease. A random samples of 30,996 individuals aged 30 years and over was selected from 627 rural communities in Durango. These persons were interviewed between November 1993 and December 1994 to obtain information on several sociodemographic variables. A capillary blood sample was collected from each individual to determine his or her glucose level after 10-12 hours of fasting. Measures of central tendency and dispersion were calculated, and percentage distributions for the study variables were determined. Comparisons among proportions were made utilizing the chi-square test, and means were compared using Student's t test. The strength of associations was estimated with odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (CI 95%) were calculated for proportions. The final sample consisted of 31,028 persons, of whom 22,890 (73.8%) were women and 8,138 (26.2%) were men. A total of 1,004 cases of NIDDM were detected (3.2%; CI 95%:3.0 to 3.4), 767 in women and 237 in men. Only 9.2% of the study population was obese. The highest frequency of NIDDM was documented in persons 60 to 69 years of age. Family history of NIDDM was identified in 59.5% of the persons with the disease (CI 95%: 58.9 to 60.0) and in 26.3% of the healthy persons (CI 95%: 25.8 to 26.8). The low prevalence of NIDDM found in this study may be related to the low level of obesity in the population surveyed.