Rajeshwari A Biradar1, Dharmendra P Singh2, Harshad Thakur3, Shiva S Halli4. 1. School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. Electronic address: rajeshwari.biradar2016@tiss.edu. 2. School of Research Methodology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. Electronic address: dpsingh@tiss.edu. 3. National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India; School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. Electronic address: director@nihfw.org. 4. Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Electronic address: shiva.halli@umanitoba.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Worldwide, lifestyle is a significant risk factor for diabetes. Lifestyle changes can lead to differences in the extent of risk of diabetes among women and men. Kerala, a state with one of the best health indicators in India, has a high prevalence of diabetes. This study aimed at comparing the variations in the risk factors for HBG and VHBG among adult women and men in Kerala. METHODS: Data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (2015-16) used to examine the differences in the risk factors for HBG and VHBG in men and women aged 15-49 years. We used bivariate, multivariate and Population Attributable Risk (PAR) techniques for analysing the data. RESULTS: Bivariate results have shown the pattern of HBG and VHBG prevalence in women and men was same among all the age groups; however, men show a higher HBG and VHBG than women in all the age groups. Prevalence of HBG and VHBG was higher in women with a primary education, who were poor and not working as compared to their male counterparts. PARs results show that the prevalence of VHBG was higher among obese men and women as compared to normal men and underweight women. Prevalence of HBG was higher among men as compared to women due to alcohol use and weekly consumption of non-vegetarian food. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that there is an urgent need for targeted intervention programs to address the problem of HBG and VHBG in both men and women in Kerala to control blood glucose levels.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Worldwide, lifestyle is a significant risk factor for diabetes. Lifestyle changes can lead to differences in the extent of risk of diabetes among women and men. Kerala, a state with one of the best health indicators in India, has a high prevalence of diabetes. This study aimed at comparing the variations in the risk factors for HBG and VHBG among adult women and men in Kerala. METHODS: Data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (2015-16) used to examine the differences in the risk factors for HBG and VHBG in men and women aged 15-49 years. We used bivariate, multivariate and Population Attributable Risk (PAR) techniques for analysing the data. RESULTS: Bivariate results have shown the pattern of HBG and VHBG prevalence in women and men was same among all the age groups; however, men show a higher HBG and VHBG than women in all the age groups. Prevalence of HBG and VHBG was higher in women with a primary education, who were poor and not working as compared to their male counterparts. PARs results show that the prevalence of VHBG was higher among obesemen and women as compared to normal men and underweight women. Prevalence of HBG was higher among men as compared to women due to alcohol use and weekly consumption of non-vegetarian food. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that there is an urgent need for targeted intervention programs to address the problem of HBG and VHBG in both men and women in Kerala to control blood glucose levels.