Prevalence of Diabetes and Its Risk Factors among the Tribal Population in Rani Development Block, Assam

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes mellitus recently have become an emerging pandemic globally with disproportionately higher rates in developing countries. In India diabetes is a growing challenge with estimated 8.7% diabetic population in the age group of 20 and 70 years. Earlier considered to be a disease of affluent society's diabetes prevalence is increasing rapidly both in rural and tribal communities as per the recent epidemiological data. Objective: To find the prevalence of Diabetes and its correlates among the tribal population in Rani Development Block, Assam. Materials and methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 310 tribal individuals in Rani Development Block. Population proportion to size sampling technique was used for selection of the subjects. Anthropometric measurements were taken and fasting blood glucose level was estimated using glucometer. Results: The prevalence of diabetes was found to be 9.7%. Dietary factors like increased consumption of red meat and decreased consumption of green leafy vegetables, family history of diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, decreased physical activity and higher BMI were found to be significantly associated with diabetes mellitus.