Lifestyle habits of offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background: To determine the lifestyle habits of offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the practice of diabetes mellitus (DM) screening among them.

Materials and Methods: This was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Participants were offspring of patients with T2DM who accompanied their parents to the DM clinic or took care of their parents while on admission in the hospital. They were recruited consecutively after obtaining consent. A questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic and clinical data from the participants. Anthropometric measurements were taken to determine Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio (WHR).

Results: A total of 100 offspring were recruited, males being 53 (53%) with a female: male ratio of 1:1.13. The mean age ± SD of the study population was 33±10 years. Less than half 49 (49%) of the participants engaged in some form of exercise. Twenty-four (24%) and 18 (18%) participants consumed fruits and vegetables daily respectively. Less than half 40 (40%) of the participants had been screened for DM at some point in their lives. Daily intake of fruits (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.11-10.70) and vegetables (OR 4.19, CI 1.13-15.52) were found to be independently associated with DM screening.