Screening for obesity and undiscovered glucose intolerance among employees of a tertiary health center in northeast Nigeria

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, and according to the International Diabetes Federation, one in every two i.e. 212 million people with diabetes is undiagnosed. This screening exercise was carried out during the World Diabetes Day celebration in line with global efforts toward early detection of persons with glucose intolerance. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity and undiscovered glucose intolerance among the hospital employees and to assess the relationship among blood glucose level, some obesity indices, and blood pressure. No such study was ever carried out in this hospital and it afforded the employees the opportunity to get enlightened about the menace of obesity and diabetes. Materials and Methods: The screening exercise was approved by the hospital management after due ethical consideration. Consent was obtained from each participant and then some anthropometric indices and 2-h postprandial plasma glucose level were measured. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel, and then analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 23. Results: The prevalence of obesity by body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-height ratio criteria was 17.4%, 33.7%, and 55.8%, respectively, and was more common among females. The prevalence of previously undiagnosed glucose intolerance was 12.7% (impaired glucose tolerance [IGT], 11.5% and diabetes mellitus, 1.2%) and the proportion among females and males was 12.5% and 11.9%, respectively. Conclusion: Though the prevalence of undiscovered diabetes was low, the prevalence of obesity and IGT was high, suggesting a population in transition from low prevalence to high prevalence of diabetes. In addition, obesity and glucose intolerance were more common among female compared to those among male participants.