title: Diabetes prevalence, awareness and treatment and their correlates in older persons in urban and rural population in the Astana region, Kazakhstan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The evidence on the prevalence and distribution of diabetes and its determinants in Central Asia is sparse. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of diabetes and factors associated with these characteristics in the population of Astana (capital) city and adjacent rural area in Kazakhstan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants aged 50-75 years old, residing in Astana city (the capital) and Akmol village were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. The subjects were randomly selected from polyclinic registers. A total of 953 adults were interviewed (response rate 59%), and their fasting plasma glucose, blood pressure, height and weight were measured. Diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) and/or being on diabetes medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of diabetes was 12.5%, and it was almost twice higher in the urban residents (16.3%) than in the rural population (8.6%). Diabetes prevalence was associated with age, men sex, hypertension, obesity, and Russian ethnicity. Among subjects with diabetes, 72.3% were aware of their condition; 65.6% were on treatment and 27.7% had controlled fasting plasma glucose. The awareness, treatment and control of diabetes were substantially higher in the urban population and among women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The large differences in all diabetes indices between urban and rural regions, if confirmed in larger studies, may suggest an impact of westernised and urbanised lifestyle as well as access to health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK; Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for life sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Supiyev
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for life sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Alibek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kossumov
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for life sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Aliya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassenova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for life sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Talgat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nurgozhin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, Center for life sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Zhaxybay
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhumadilov
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peasey
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address: m.bobak@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobak
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007623:Kazakhstan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Central Asian Countries; Diabetes; Kazakhstan; Socioeconomic factors