Factors associated with development of diabetes mellitus: results from a cross sectional survey in Kawerau

To determine risk factors for diabetes mellitus, a cross sectional study was performed on adult residents of Kawerau. Three thousand nine hundred and eighty-two adults (82.8% response rate) had a fructosamine screening test and undiagnosed diabetes was confirmed in 29 cases. Controls were 241 nondiabetic individuals randomly selected from residents with normal fructosamine result. Compared with controls, new diabetics were significantly older and more obese (p less than 0.05). After controlling for age and body mass index, we also found significant increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, 2 hour insulin, and fasting triglyceride levels. These results suggest that the above variables are associated with diabetes mellitus independent of age and obesity.