Evaluation of Environmental Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Sint Maarten

Abstract

A number of environmental risk factors have been reported to be associated with elevated blood glucose and diabetes. However, these associations have primarily been explored in Western populations and few studies have examined diabetic risk factors in novel populations such as the Caribbean. We examined whether exercise and food consumption is associated with blood glucose levels in the Caribbean population of Sint Maarten. Using cross-sectional data from Project HELP (Health, Education, Literacy, and Prevention), a collaboration between the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and Sint Maarten Ministry of Health, we estimated two logistic regression models predicting elevated blood glucose. The adjusted model included demographic, biological, and social/ behavioral covariates. Unhealthy food consumption was associated with decreased odds of elevated blood glucose in the first model (OR=0.19, p=0.04) but not significant in the adjusted model. All other factors were not significantly associated with blood glucose. It seems that the traditional environmental risk factors – such as exercise and diet – associated with blood glucose in most Western populations are not significant in Sint Maarten. Further research must be conducted to determine appropriate risk factors for this population and possibly other Caribbean populations.