Socioeconomic and lifestyle determinants of blood glucose screening in Malaysia
Article Category: Brief communication (Original)
Published Online: Jan 31, 2017
Page range: 683 - 690
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0905.440
Keywords
© 2015 Yong Kang Cheah, Hock Kuang Lim
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Background
The increase in prevalence of diabetes is a serious public health issue. It is well-documented that use of blood glucose screening can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
Objectives
To examine the socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with use of blood glucose screening among Malaysian adults.
Methods
Nationally representative data from 2,415 survey respondents was used. The survey was a cross-sectional population-based study previously conducted by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. A logistic regression model was developed to estimate the likelihood of using blood glucose screening.
Results
Age, marital status, ethnicity, income, smoking, and body mass index were significantly associated with use of blood glucose screening. In particular, older individuals, married individuals, Malays, higher income earners, non-smokers, and being obese, overweight or of normal weight were correlated with a higher likelihood of using blood glucose screening.
Conclusions
It is important to acquire a better knowledge of the factors that can influence the decision of people to adopt preventive measures. Having better information regarding which groups of individuals use or do not use blood glucose screening can assist governments in developing appropriate intervention programs.