Prevalence and risk factors for diabetes, comparison of rural populations in Bangladesh, China and Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Diabetes prevalence is rising and very few studies have compared prevalence and risk factors of diabetes among different populations in Asian. Objectives: To determine the influence of different risk factors for diabetes in rural Bangladesh, China and Pakistan, and to compare the prevalence of diabetes. Method: Surveys were done in these three counties; 4757 individuals were included from Bangladesh, 2138 individuals were included from China and 1799 from Pakistan. The results from these three surveys are compared in this paper. Results: The prevalence of diabetes was lowest in China and highest in Pakistan, even though they had similar mean BMI. The Pakistanis did however have the highest waist girth and waist hip ratio. Conclusion: The diabetes prevalence differs in different ethnic regions. Anthropometric differences can only partly explain the differences in prevalence. © 2009 Diabetes India.