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Abstract Background Diabetes is a major non-communicable health problem in both developed and developing countries, including Malaysia. People with diabetes are living longer and are vulnerable to microvascular and macrovascular complications, thus representing a significant public health problem with high morbidity, mortality, and substantial economic repercussions. We aim to determine the national prevalence of diabetes and identify associated factors among the adult population in Malaysia. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 involving 10,464 respondents in Malaysia. A two-stage stratified sampling design was used to select a representative sample of Malaysian adults. Structured validated questionnaires with face-to-face interviews were used to obtain data from selected respondents aged ≥ 18. Finger-pricked fasting blood glucose tests using the Accutrend GC machine were performed on respondents who claimed they did not have diabetes. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to determine associations between diabetes and associated factors at the significance level of = 0.05. Results The overall prevalence of diabetes among adult respondents was 18.3% (n = 2629). The highest prevalence of diabetes was among females (18.4%), those aged 60 & above (41.5%), Indian (31.4%), those without formal education (28.3%), widow/widower/divorce (33.2%), not working (24.9%), inactive (22.5%), obese (27.1%), hypertension (36.0%) and high cholesterol level (30.4%). Logistic regression analyses revealed that age group, ethnicity, education level, marital status, physical activity level, obesity, blood pressure status and cholesterol status were associated with diabetes among adults. Conclusion This study showed that the prevalence of diabetes among adult populations in Malaysia is high, with about one in five adults found to have diabetes. Awareness programs and interventions on diabetes need to be improved, especially related to behavioural charge as a strategy for the prevention and control of diabetes and its complications.
Ismail et al. (Tue,) studied this question.