Risk prediction of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity among the medical students in a tertiary care hospital of Pondicherry by using IDRS

Abstract

Introduction/Background: Diabetes mellitus is a major clinical and public health problem. More than 50% of the diabetic subjects in India remain unaware of their diabetes status, which adds to the disease burden. A simplified Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) for screening of undiagnosed diabetic subjects is used to assess the diabetes risk and helps in prediction of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Aim: To assess the risk of DM and obesity using the parameters of the IDRS among the students of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students of Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical sciences, Pondicherry, using the parameters like age, abdominal circumference contributing to obesity, physical activity, and family history of diabetes which constituted the IDRS. Results: The results showed a distribution of about 14.28% in the age group of 18-20 years and 85.71% in the age group of 21-24 years. The gender distribution showed 64.28% in male category and 35.71% in female category. The family history of diabetes showed a varied presentation with 45.14% having no family history. An equal percentage of 41.14% with one parent as diabetic and 13.72% having both the parents as diabetics. About 41.72% showed a medium score in IDRS which is about 30-50. Conclusions: The results showed obesity and deviated parameters with respect to IDRS in certain students. So, regular follow-up and health education is the need of the hour to prevent the development of complications in future.