The Prevalence of Prediabetes and Its Risk Factors Among Adults in Selected Communities in Accra.

Abstract

Introduction/Background: Diabetes mellitus is a global health issue, with cases projected to surge from 180,000,000 in 1980 to over 693,000,000 by 2045. Prediabetes precedes a full blown type 2 diabetes which must be diagnosed early and take appropriate measures. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among adults ≥18 years of age (n = 360). Fasting blood glucose levels were determined using glucometer. Sociodemographic variables, behavioral patterns, dietary intakes, anthropometric measures and clinical indicators were collected. Logistic regression was employed to estimate associations between all variables and prediabetes status. Results: The prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes was 26.7% and 29.4% respectively. Results showed significant correlations between prediabetes and sociodemographic factors such as female sex (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.02-4.59) age group 40-59 years (OR: 2.97, 95% CI: 1.10-8.32) and being single (OR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.05-6.43). Behavioural factors including salt consumption (AOR: 6.25, 95% CI: 1.69-23.02), smoking (AOR: 10.14, 95% CI: 1.21-111.03), caffeine consumption (AOR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.53-11.88), low physical activity (AOR: 3.53, 95% CI: 1.83-7.89) and high stress levels (AOR: 8.29, 95% CI: 3.30-20.80) were significantly associated with prediabetes. Dietary factors including increased consumption of starchy foods (AOR: 3.63, 95% CI: 1.74 7.58), animal-sourced foods (AOR: 2.54, 95% CI: 1.36-4.86), fats and oils (AOR: 5.87, 95% CI: 2.76-12.51), legumes (AOR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.23-6.11), and confectionaries (AOR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.19-5.23) were significantly associated with prediabetes. Participants with BMI over 25 (AOR: 4.55, 95% CI: 2.12-18.11), high mean arterial pressure (AOR: 4.21, 95% CI: 1.50 11.81) and stage 1 hypertension (AOR: 6.74, 95% CI: 1.50-30.29) showed significant association with prediabetes. Conclusion: This shows an unacceptably high prevalence of the condition with significant factors identified. Targeted public health interventions to mitigate the risk and prevalence of prediabetes are needed.