Prevalence of risk factors for diabetes mellitus among public servants

Abstract

The objective was to verify the prevalence of risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus among public servants, and relate risk factors to gender and blood glucose variables. The participants were 65 public servants who answered a questionnaire. The following measures were obtained: blood pressure, body weight, height, body mass index, abdominal circumference, and fasting capillary blood glucose. Analysis of variance and the chi-square test were used. The most prevalent risk factors identified were: abnormal body mass index (66.1%), age>45 years (64.6%), abnormal abdominal circumference (61.5%) and sedentary life style (61.5%). An association was observed between blood pressure and altered fasting capillary blood glucose (p=0.01). Men showed a higher prevalence of altered capillary blood glucose (p<0.035) and altered body mass index (p<0.007). In conclusion, the risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus are highly prevalent in the studied population, revealing an inadequate life style for the prevention of this disease.

Descriptors: Nursing Care; Diabetes Mellitus; Risk Factors.