Opportunistic random blood glucose screening among professional drivers in northeastern Bangladesh: Assessing undiagnosed diabetes and health awareness

Diabetes remains a silent epidemic in underrepresented high-risk groups like professional drivers, highlighting the urgent need for informed health policies and targeted interventions. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and related health awareness among professional drivers in northeastern Bangladesh using opportunistic random blood glucose (RBG) testing to address knowledge gaps and inform health policy. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,454 participants enrolled between February 5, 2024 and July 27, 2024, using a consent-based questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and RBG testing with a glucometer. Diabetes awareness was assessed using pre-tested questionnaires, while the prevalence of diabetes and associated factors were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U tests, Welch ANOVA, and Spearman correlation analysis. A total of 2.20% of the driver population were found to have undiagnosed diabetes. RBG levels differed significantly across regions. Middle age (7.63%) and overweight (3.77%) groups exhibited the highest prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. Confounding variables such as BMI (r = 0.22, p < 0.0001), age (r = 0.19, p < 0.0001), and sleep duration (r = -0.05, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with glucose levels, indicating potential risk factors for diabetes. The obese group (AOR: 3.04, 95% CI: 0.81-11.46) and overweight group (AOR: 1.81, 95% CI: 0.83-3.99) were 3.04 and 1.81 times more likely, respectively, to develop diabetes compared to the healthy weight group. Participants with less than 7 hours of sleep (AOR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.46-2.75) were also at greater risk. Co-morbidities and a family history of diabetes were also significantly associated with elevated RBG levels. Overall, this study highlights the regional and behavioral disparities influencing the development of diabetes risk among professional drivers, a population often neglected in health policy. It underscores the need for health education and large-scale RBG testing to improve awareness and alert policymakers in formulating effective health guidelines.