Prevalence of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose and metabolic syndrome among female orang asli community in peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Orang Asli (OA) are the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia. Although majority of the people still live in remote and rural areas, others have been relocated, have undergone acculturation and have adopted urbanized lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits. As a result, there has been an increasing prevalence of obesity, hypertension and diabetes seen among the OA. The crude prevalence rate of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance determined in 1993 among the resettled OA were reported to be 1.3 and 10.7%, respectively. Aim: This study was undertaken to determine the current status of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among the OA living in four rural resettlement areas. Materials and Methods: A total of 119 female OA, aged ≥18 years were studied. The subjects underwent physical examination, and fasting blood samples were collected for plasma glucose and lipid profile. A cohort of 76 subjects was followed up for 2 years. Results: Prevalence of diabetes, IFG and MetS was 8.4, 16.8 and 22.7%, respectively, where a significant number of people were below 40 years old and were either overweight or obese. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. MannWhitney U and paired t-test were used to compare the differences between groups and between visits, respectively. Results were reported as percentages and mean ± SD. Conclusions: Prevalence of diabetes and IFG among the OA has increased significantly over the last decade. Unless immediate steps are taken to contain the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, IFG and MetS, the health care costs for OA with chronic diseases will pose an enormous financial burden to the country.