title: Diabetes and impaired fasting glycemia in the tribes of Khagrachari hill tracts of Bangladesh.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) in a tribal population of Bangladesh.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cluster sampling of 1,287 tribal subjects of age > or =20 years was investigated. They live in a hilly area of Khagrachari in the far northeast of Bangladesh. Fasting plasma glucose, blood pressure, height, weight, waist girth, and hip girth were measured. Lipid fractions were also estimated. We used the 1997 American Diabetes Association diagnostic criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The crude prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 6.6% and IFG was 8.5%. The age-standardized (20-70 years) prevalence of type 2 diabetes (95% CI) was 6.4% (4.96-7.87) and of IFG was 8.4% (6.48-10.37). Both tribesmen and women had equal risk for diabetes and IFG. Compared with the lower-income group, the participants with higher income had a significantly higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (18.8 vs. 3.1%, P < 0.001) and IFG (17.2 vs. 4.3%, P < 0.001). Using logistic regression, we found that increased age, high-income group, and increased central obesity were the important risk factors of diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of diabetes in the tribal population was higher than that of the nontribal population of Bangladesh. Older age, higher central obesity, and higher income were proven significant risk factors of diabetes. High prevalence of diabetes among these tribes indicates that the prevalence of diabetes and its complications will continue to increase. Evidently, health professionals and planners should initiate diabetes care in these tribal communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Division, Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sayeedma@dab-bd.org
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abu Sayeed
authors.forename: Hajera
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahtab
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Akter Khanam
authors.forename: Khandaker
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abul Ahsan
authors.forename: Akhter
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Banu
authors.forename: A N M Bazlur
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Azad Khan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001824:Body Constitution; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors