Diabetes type 2 risk assessment in persons undergoing preventative examinations
Diabetes mellitus is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. The number of cases has been on the rise for many years, reaching a pandemic scale. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors relevant for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study was conducted at the Dorćol Primary Healthcare Facility within the Medigroup Healthcare system, with persons who had come in for preventive medical examinations over a period of six months. The study included 150 participants. Data on sex, age, arterial hypertension and pharmacotherapy were collected, and weight, height and glycaemia were measured. The Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Questionnaire was used as the research instrument, in line with the recommendations of the National Guide for the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes for primary care physicians (FINDRISC). The data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software package. A higher risk for developing diabetes was observed in participants reporting irregular consumption of fruits and vegetables (38.0%), physical inactivity (34.0%), and in those with abdominal obesity (32.0%) and a positive family history of diabetes (17.3%). A timely intervention aimed at modifiable risk factors, primarily lifestyle interventions, can prevent type 2 diabetes and mitigate complications.