Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a representative sample of Greek adults and its association with modifiable risk factors: results from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey

E Magriplis; D Panagiotakos; E Papakonstantinou; A-V Mitsopoulou; D Karageorgou; I Dimakopoulos; I Bakogianni; M Chourdakis; R Micha; G Michas; T Ntouroupi; S-M Tsaniklidou; K Argyri; G Dimitriadis; A Zampelas; Contributors; Advisory Committee

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2020.10.002

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a representative sample of Greek adults and its association with modifiable risk factors: results from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey

Public Health. 2021 Aug:197:75-82. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.10.002. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Authors

Collaborators

E Fappa¹, E-M Theodoraki¹, E Trichia¹, T-E Sialvera¹, A Varytimiadi¹, E Spyreli¹, A Koutelidakis⁶, G Karlis¹, S Zacharia¹, A Papageorgiou¹, G P Chrousos⁷, G Dedoussis², Y Manios², E Roma⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55, Athens, Greece.
² Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education Harokopio University, Eleftheriou Venizelou 70, 176 76, Athens, Greece.
³ Laboratory of Hygiene, Social & Preventive Medicine and Medical Statistics, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54 124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
⁴ 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute and Diabetes Center, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital, Haidari, Greece.
⁵ Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: azampelas@aua.gr.
⁶ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Aegean, Mytilini, Greece.
⁷ 1st Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 115 27 Athens, Greece.

PMID: 33478772
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.10.002

Abstract

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is a disease associated with many complications leading to premature death. The aim of this study was to estimate prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the proportion of the population unaware of the condition, in association with modifiable risk factors.

Study design: Data from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey were used (n = 3773 adults, 40.8% men) and were obtained by trained personnel.

Methods: Diabetes mellitus disease status was categorized as per the International Classification of Diseases codes (10th version). A subsample from the two main metropolitan areas was used to assess T2D and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (n = 990; 38.2% men) from plasma analysis.

Results: The prevalence of T2D in the population was 5.2% in total, reaching 13.7% in adults aged >60 years (no sex differences). IFG was observed in 27.3% of adults in the two metropolitan areas, and 40% were unaware of having T2D in this subsample. The likelihood of having T2D significantly increased with age and body weight, whereas it decreased with higher educational level and physical activity (P for all <0.001).

Conclusion: The high T2D prevalence in adults, especially among the older age-groups, suggests a major public health problem in Greece.

Keywords: Diabetes prevalence; Health survey; Impaired fasting glucose; MedDiet; Overweight and obesity; Public health.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Blood Glucose
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
Female
Greece / epidemiology
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Prediabetic State*
Prevalence
Risk Factors

Substances

Blood Glucose