Abstract

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now becoming major public health issues in developing and developed countries. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, being a part of the NCD group, is also showing an upward trend globally. It has been classified as the third leading cause of premature mortality worldwide. India and China share the greatest burden of diabetes mellitus globally. Objectives: (1) To estimate the prevalence of self-reported (or already diagnosed) type 2 diabetes mellitus among the study population; (2) To determine the association between self-reported diabetes mellitus and certain sociodemographic factors.
Materials and Methods: This study is a part of larger cross-sectional community-based study carried out in employees of the Aligarh Muslim University for 1-year duration (June 2012 to May 2013). The estimated sample size was 540. The subjects were taken from all the sections of the employees, that is, teaching, clerical, technical, and class four staff, as per probability-proportionate-to-size (PPS) method and the individual subject chosen randomly from among these sections. Data were presented as proportions and percentages, and appropriate statistical test was used wherever applicable. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Result: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus among study population was found to be 7.96% (43/540). More men than women were found have diabetes mellitus. It was found to be significantly associated with the increasing age, positive family history, and higher educational status. The association of diabetes mellitus with socioeconomic status was not found to be significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus among study population was found to be high considering the fact that a large proportion of patients with diabetes mellitus usually tend to remain unaware of their diabetic status.