Background: The global prevalence of diabetes in 2014 was estimated to be 8.5% in adults aged 18+years. The risk factors for diabetes are age, family history, obesity, poor health literacy, and physical activity. Although Type 2 diabetes may occur at any age, surveys indicate that prevalence rises steeply with age.
Aims and Objectives: This study aims to assess risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) and to study association of risk of diabetes with other factors among 1st year medical students in a medical college in South Kerala.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among one hundred and forty 1st year medical students of medical college in South Kerala using universal sampling method. FINDRISC tool was used to collect data on diabetes risk and descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used for the analysis.
Results: Out of 140 students, 91 (65.0%) had low risk, 47 (33.6%) and 2 (1.4%) had slightly elevated and moderate risk for developing type diabetes. No association found between females and males with the risk of diabetes. The risk of developing diabetes in next 10 years was significantly low among who had body mass index < 25 kg/m2 (P = 0.001), people doing at least 30 min of daily physical activity (P = 0.003), and who are not had the family history of diabetes (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion: In our study, one-third of the students had slightly elevated and moderate risk for developing diabetes in the next 10 years. It is important to identify the risk factors for the development of diabetes early so that preventive measures like lifestyle modification can be implemented.
Key words: Finnish Diabetes Risk Score; Medical Students; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; Kerala
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