Prevalence of Diabetes Among Adults 18 Years and Older in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Community-Based Study

Abstract Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels that cause significant damage to major organs over time. Ethiopia is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and has the highest number of diabetes cases. However, there is little empirical evidence on DM in Ethiopia, particularly in the country's capital. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of DM in adults aged 18 years and older in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in Addis Ababa City from June 1 to October 31, 2018. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to capture adults aged 18 years and above.. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using the WHO-STEPwise approach to monitor risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Physical and biochemical measurements were also collected following standard procedures.We performed binary and multiple logistic regressions to identify associated factors. Results are presented as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: In this study, a total of 602 participants were included.The overall prevalence of DM was 14.3% (95% CI: 11.5–17.1), with 70.9% of the cases diagnosed for the first time during the study. Age 50 years and above (AOR: 3.89, 95% CI: 1.59–9.48), overweight (AOR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.24–4.18), obesity (AOR: 4.55, 95% CI: 2.24–9.25), abdominal obesity (AOR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.03–4.44), hypertriglyceridemia (AOR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.17–3.38), and low HDL-C level (AOR: 2.74, 95% CI: 1.59–4.71) were significantly associated with DM. Conclusion: The prevalence of DM was higher in the population of Addis Ababa. DM was significantly associated with increasing age, overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and a low HDL-C level. Our findings recommend the development of astratefy for the health system to implement selective screening programs and interventions targeting modifiable risk factors. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2024; 38(3): 00-00] Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, prevalence, risk factors