Abstract

Background: Owing to the increasing prevalence and the fact that diabetes mellitus has a long and well-defined preclinical phase, it is felt essential to employ screening methods at the earliest to identify the person at the risk of diabetes in devel- oping countries. It is also mandatory to pinpoint the individuals in the prediabetic phase, because simple intervention and change of lifestyle can prevent the progression to diabetes.
Objective: To screen and identify the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural population using Indian Diabetes Risk Score and to compare the associations of diabetes and prediabetes with general and central obesity indicators.
Materials and Methods: This community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas. Eight hundred individuals older than 20 years of age were randomly selected and assessed. Age, waist circumference, grade of physical activity, and family history of diabetes mellitus were assessed. Result: On computing the Indian Diabetes Risk Score, 29% of the 800 persons studied showed low-risk score, 52% moderate-risk sore, and 19% high-risk score for diabetes. Conclusion: Prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in studied population was 13.62% and 16.5%, respectively. Waist circumference was positively correlated with diabetes (“r” value: 0.81). This screening method is simple and useful in detecting undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes.