Guoyi Zhou

Prevalence of Diabetes, Prediabetes, and Associated Factors in an Adult Chinese Population: Baseline of a Prediabetes Cohort Study: Purpose. To report baseline information of a prediabetes mellitus (PDM) cohort with the aim of exploring related factors for the progression of PDM and its complications. Methods. This study is an exploratory and cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from a cohort study. Residents aged 18 to 70 years from Houtang Village, Nanyue Town, Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province, China, were invited to participate between October 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019. Blood samples were collected for analysis, and questionnaire interviews were conducted to assess behavioral characteristics. The study participants were divided into DM, PDM, and normal groups for comparisons based on their blood work, and multiple multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess the risk factors for DM and PDM. Results. Data from 406 participants were used in the baseline analysis, with a mean age of 51.2 ± 11.0 years and 160 (33.0%) males. The number of participants in the DM, PDM, and normal group was 58 (14.3%), 166 (40.9%), and 182 (44.8%), respectively. The prevalence of DM was 14.3%, and the prevalence of PDM was 40.9%. The regression analysis showed that older age (relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01–1.11, ), higher systolic blood pressure (RRR = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.004–1.08, ), higher BMI (RRR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.06–3.06, ), higher TG (RRR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.06–3.06, ), and higher WBC count (RRR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.07–1.64, ) were significantly associated with a higher risk of DM. Meanwhile, higher systolic blood pressure (RRR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.004–1.06, ) was the only factor significantly associated with a higher risk of PDM. Conclusion. The prevalence of DM and PDM is relatively high in this wealthy East China village population. Many modifiable risk factors exist for DM and PDM, which will be closely monitored during our longitudinal observation.

To investigate the knowledge and practices regarding diabetic retinopathy (DR) among diabetic patients included in a community-based primary health system (CBPHS) in China. Diabetic patients aged 18 years and above registered in the CBPHS in Yueqing city, Zhejiang province were recruited. Information obtained by questionnaire included: demographic and socioeconomic status, knowledge about DR, and ocular and medical history. The primary outcome was whether the participant knew that DM can affect the eyes, defined according to the question: “Do you know diabetes mellitus (DM) can affect eyes? (yes or no)”. A knowledge score was calculated based on the responses to seven questions, with 1 point awarded for a correct response and 0 points for an incorrect or uncertain answer. A total of 1972 diabetic patients were included in the study with an average age of 65.2±10.8 years, 45.7% were male. One thousand two hundred and nineteen patients (61.8%) knew that DM can affect the eyes. Significant differences in age, education, income status, insurance covering eye care, fasting blood glucose, duration of DM, history of hypertension existed between subjects who knew and those who did not know that DM can affect the eyes (P<0.05 for all). The proportion of correct answers to the DR knowledge questions ranged from 33.3% to 61.8%, with an average score of 3.65±2.47. In the multiple regression analysis, the knowledge score was significantly associated with age, education, income, history of hypertension, duration of DM, being told that regular examinations should be performed and concern about vision loss (P <0.01 for all). The knowledge toward DR among DM patients were still low within the chronic disease management system in eastern China. Routine ophthalmic screening, health care promotions, and educational programs should be emphasized and implemented for better DR prevention and management.