INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DIABETES IN ARGENTINA IS DUE TO EASIER HEALTH CARE ACCESS RATHER THAN TO AN ACTUAL INCREASE IN PREVALENCE

ADOLFO RUBINSTEIN; VILMA IRAZOLA; LAURA GUTIERREZ; ANDREA BERATARRECHEA

PLOS ONE

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2014 p. 1 - 30

1932-6203

Introduction According to the Argentine National Risk Factor Survey (ANRFS), between 2005 and 2009, self-reported Diabetes increased in Argentina from 8.4% to 9.6%, accompanied by a raise in the prevalence of obesity and low physical activity. In the same period, it also increased blood sugar checks from 69.3% to 75.7%. Since surveillance data in Argentina rely on self-reports, the estimated prevalence of diabetes may be affected by an increase in the proportion of subjects with access to preventive services. We evaluated the independent effect of a recent blood sugar check, on the increase in self-reported diagnoses of diabetes between 2005 and 2009. Materials and Methods A secondary analysis of data from the 2005 and 2009 ANRFS was performed. Diabetes was defined as having been diagnosed Diabetes or high blood sugar by a health professional, obesity was calculated as BMI ≥30 kg/m2, based on self-reported height and weight and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. We used logistic regression models to explore the relationship between prevalence of self-reported diabetes and recent blood sugar check as the main predictor. Results The prevalence of diabetes rose from 8.4% to 9.6%; obesity from 14.5% to 18 % and low physical activity from 46.2% to 55%, between 2005 and 2009. Among those who recently checked their blood sugar no differences were found in the prevalence of 3 diabetes: 13 % in 2005 vs. 13.2% in 2009. Findings of the multivariable analysis showed that obesity and low physical activity were significantly associated with self reported diabetes in the adjusted model (OR=1.80 for obesity, and OR=1.12 for low physical activity but the strongest predictor was recent blood sugar check (OR=4.75). Discussion An increased prevalence of self-reported diabetes between 2005 and 2009 might indicate an improvement in the access to preventive services rather than a positive increase in the prevalence of diabetes.