Prevalence of obesity and prediabetes in above 40 years age group based on glycated hemoglobin levels among health care professional in Patna, India

ABSTRACT

Background: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of prediabetes using glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in above 40 years age group health care professional in Patna.Methods: This was a cross sectional study carried out amongst 315 employees of the Independent Public Central Hospital in Patna. The selection of healthcare professionals for the study was random. The largest study subgroup (63.4%) were nurses, followed by word attender (13.5%), other administrative employee (10.3%), and orderlies (6.6%). All subjects underwent glycated hemoglobin level measurement at hospital laboratory. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and binary logistic regression tests at value of p <0.05.Results: The study group was evaluated for prediabetes (expressed in the form of HbA1c levels) with an American Diabetes Association-approved classification. The results indicated that a vast majority of the evaluated healthcare personnel (383 people; 82.4%) had normal glycated hemoglobin levels. The remainder of the study group showed carbohydrate metabolism disturbances. The range of glycated hemoglobin levels (5.7-6.4%) found in 73 people (15.7%) suggested an increased risk for diabetes. As a result of the study, as few, or as many, as 9 people (1.9%) were diagnosed with diabetes (initial diagnosis).Conclusions: These results emphasize the need to develop an urgent public program to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of diabetes. Most of the evaluated healthcare professionals (79.36%) showed no evidence of being at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Only 17.6% of respondents were unaware of their metabolic disturbances. The study demonstrated a positive correlation between body mass index values and glycated hemoglobin levels in the evaluated group of healthcare professionals (R=0.3), which was similar to that found in the general population.