Impaired Fasting Glucose and Associated Anthropometry among Students of a Medical College in Coastal Kerala, India

• Main Authors: Saritha S. Vargese, Teenu M. Joseph, Harsha C.M, Raju Antony, Philip Mathew
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University 2015-10-01
• Series: Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University
• Subjects: Impaired Fasting Glucose; Prediabetes; Youth; Medical Students; Anthropometry
• Online Access: http://www.jkimsu.com/jkimsu-vol4no4/JKIMSU,%20Vol.%204,%20No.%204,%20Oct-Dec%202015%20Page%2074-81.pdf

Background: India being the diabetic capital need to emphasize on preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of diabetes and thus reduce the burden on health services and resources of the country. The identification of high risk group like those with impaired fasting glucose stresses the need for simple interventional measures to bring down the diabetic community in the country. Aim and Objectives: Medical students have a busy schedule for their studies due to huge syllabus and they generally do not have much physical exercise which emphasizes the need to identify the risk factors for diabetes and also to sensitize them on the need to identify the prediabetics in the community. So the study was carried out to determine the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose and the associated anthropometric measurements among medical students in a rural area in Kerala, India. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was done to assess the fasting blood glucose using a glucometer and anthropometric measurements like waist circumference ,waist hip ratio and body mass index among the students of a medical school in coastal Kerala India. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect the data after obtaining informed consent. Results: The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was found to be very high 55(21.6%) among the study group, significantly higher among males 43(51.8%) (p=0.000) and body mass index was significantly associated (p=0.044) with impaired fasting glucose which was consistent with many other studies. Conclusion: The study throws light on the fact that the prevalence of prediabetes and anthropometric risk factors are high among youth and highlights the need for immediate measures to identify the risk group right from the young age and initiate simple interventional measures to reduce the diabetic load in the community.