Prevalence of Self-Reported Diabetes Mellitus and Related Factors in a Rural Community

Background and Objectives: Globally, the prevalence of diabetes is estimated at around 422 million, and in India, it is at around 69.1 million in 2017. Like any other non-communicable disease, early diagnosis of the disease and its determinants helps in better management and prevention. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of self-reported diabetes in Kuppam and to assess the factors related to it. Methodology: A house-to-house survey was carried out in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, for a period of 6 months covering 7,002 houses. Diabetics were identified based on the self-reported illness, medication use and laboratory reports. Information regarding socio-demographic details, treatment patterns and other related information of the study subjects has been collected by using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Pilot study was conducted, and also expert opinion was sought for the validity of questionnaire. Results: In total, 1,339 self-reported cases of diabetes were identified in the present study, with a prevalence of around 6.8%. Conclusion: Prevalence of diabetes in the present survey shows an increasing trend in the rural area and comparable to the national data. This stresses the need to focus on high-risk screening and population approach to create awareness among rural community.