Diabetes mellitus and associated factors in male workers in the southwest region of Bahia

Introduction:  Diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the list of the most prevalent diseases globally, constituting a major public health problem. The involvement of workers by this morbidity generates relevant social and health service impacts.

Objective:  To identify the prevalence and factors associated with diabetes mellitus in groups of male workers.

Methods:  This is a cross-sectional study, and 1,024 workers made up the sample. The dependent variable consisted of those who answered “yes” to the question: “Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with diabetes?” and/or presented alterations in objective glucose tests. The explanatory variables were: sociodemographic, lifestyle and health/disease. Poisson regression with robust variance and hierarchical entry of variables was used, adopting p≤0.05 as significant.

Results:  The prevalence of DM was 11.3% (95% confidence interval — 95%CI 9.52–13.42). Individuals with lower income, those married, older and those diagnosed with hypertension had a higher prevalence of diabetes. Those with positive self-perception of health had lower prevalence.

Conclusion:  The high prevalence of DM in the study and its association with sociodemographic and health/disease characteristics of male workers suggest the need for increased access to health services by the studied group, aiming at prevention and early diagnosis, enabling self-care and management of the disease in workers.

Keywords:
diabetes mellitus; worker’s health; epidemiological studies