Prevalence and correlates of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance among adults in Luzon, Philippines.

Recognizing the problem posed by diabetes mellitus, the National Diabetes Commission was created by Republic Act 8191 in 1996. The Commission identified the need for a Second National Diabetes Survey to have an updated estimate of the magnitude of the disease in the country and to have the needed information for developing a diabetes prevention and control program. This paper reports the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in adults and the factors associated with the prevalence of these conditions. A cross-sectional population-based study assessed the occurrence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance among a random sample of 7044 adults, aged 20-65 years who were residents of urban and rural areas in Luzon. Blood glucose level was measured by OGTT using the current WHO criteria. The crude diabetes prevalence of 5.1% represented a 54% increase over the figure (3.3%) for a similar population in Luzon in 1982. An increase was also noted in the magnitude of IGT which almost doubled from 4.1% in 1982 to 8.1% in the present survey. Only one in three diabetics reported that they had diabetes. The frequency of diabetes and IGT in urban and rural areas were about the same, although a substantial increase from the earlier survey was noted in rural areas. Women registered a higher prevalence for both conditions than men. Aside from age and gender, the other correlates of diabetes mellitus were hypertension, family history of diabetes, WHR, BMI, and physical inactivity. IGT had similar correlates as diabetes except physical inactivity. The present findings which are consistent with those of other studies underscore the role of lifestyle behaviors in diabetes and should be the target of intervention to prevent further increase in disease frequency.

Evaluation of the national control of diarrhoeal disease programme in the Philippines, 1980-93.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the National Control of Diarrhoeal Disease Programme (NCDDP) in the Philippines over the period 1980-93, describing levels and trends in programme activities, and relating them to severe diarrhoea morbidity and mortality among under-5-year-olds. METHODS: Routinely collected data on morbidity and mortality trends were obtained from health statistics reports of the Health Intelligence Service and the NCDDP. Socioeconomic indicators, including annual average family income and expenditures, gross national product, and unemployment rates, were derived from the Philippine population census data collected by the National Statistics Office. FINDINGS: In relation to baseline levels, diarrhoea mortality among infants and young children fell by about 5% annually over the 18-year period under review. The decline was faster than those related to acute respiratory infections (ARIs) among children of similar age and to perinatal causes. Diarrhoea hospital admission rates registered an annual decline of 2.4% relative to the baseline level. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the programme had a substantial impact; the period under review also witnessed some degree of improvement in other factors with positive influences on health, such as exclusive breastfeeding, nutrition and environmental sanitation. The quality, particularly completeness and reliability, of the existing data did not allow further analysis, thus, making it difficult to conclude beyond doubt that the observed trends indicate that they were solely due to NCDDP.

El potencial del método de casos y controles para las evaluaciones epidemiológicas rápidas / The potential of the case-control method for rapid epidemiological assessment

Durante las ultimas décadas el método de casos y controles se ha aplicado sobre todo a estudios de los factores de riesgo de enfermedades crónicas. Recientemente, el método ha encontrado una nueva aplicación en el estudio del efecto que tienen en la salud las mejoras en saneamiento y abastecimiento de agua. Se revisan las consideraciones metodológicas, las perspectivas y las limitaciones del diseño de casos y controles para valoraciones rápidas

El potencial del método de casos y controles para las evaluaciones epidemiológicas rápidas / The potential of the case-control method for rapid epidemiological assessment

Durante las ultimas décadas el método de casos y controles se ha aplicado sobre todo a estudios de los factores de riesgo de enfermedades crónicas. Recientemente, el método ha encontrado una nueva aplicación en el estudio del efecto que tienen en la salud las mejoras en saneamiento y abastecimiento de agua. Se revisan las consideraciones metodológicas, las perspectivas y las limitaciones del diseño de casos y controles para valoraciones rápidas

Publicado originalmente en inglés en World Health Statistical Quarterly. 44:140-44, 1991