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SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
RESEARCH ARTICLE
VOLUME 15 NUMBER 2 • NOVEMBER 2018
47
herbal medications. The intake of alcohol was about four bottles of
beer per week (Table 1).
The mean BMI of the subjects was 27.2 ± 9.6 kg/m
2
, with
121 (41.7%) and 61 (21.1%) being in the overweight and obese
categories, respectively. The prevalence of overweight and obesity
were 41.7% (95% CI: 36.0–47.4%) and 21.1% (95% CI: 16.3–
25.6%), respectively, giving a combined prevalence of 62.8%
(95% CI: 57.2–68.3%) (Table 2). Fig. 2 shows the frequency of the
various classes of obesity.
The mean waist circumference (WC) of the study population
was 94.9 ± 11.9 cm, while the prevalence of abdominal obesity,
WC ≥ 102 cm, was 24.1% (95% CI: 19.2–29.0%). The mean neck
circumference of the study population was 39.2 ± 2.8 cm, with
28.8% having a neck circumference ≥ 40 cm (Table 2).
The mean systolic blood pressure (SPB) and diastolic blood
pressure (DBP) of the subjects were 136.3 ± 20.9 and 83.2 ± 13.6
mmHg, respectively. One hundred and sixteen cases of hypertension
were identified, giving a prevalence rate of 39.7% (95% CI: 34.0–
45.25%). Eighty-eight (75.9%) were detected for the first time
during the study. Twenty-eight (24.1%) were previously known
hypertensives, with six (21.4%) having good BP control (Table 2).
Themean fastingbloodglucose level (FBG) of the studypopulation
was 108.2 ± 39.7 mg/dl (6.01 ± 2.2 mmol/l). Forty of the subjects
(13.9%; 95% CI: 9.7–17.6%) had diabetes and seven (2.4%) were
previously known diabetics. Ninety (31.3%) had impaired fasting
glucose levels. Prevalence of abnormal glucose profiles (diabetes +
impaired FBG) was 45.2% (95% CI: 39.3–50.7%) (Table 2).
The mean TC of the study population was 218.4 ± 33.2 mg/
dl (5.66 ± 0.86 mmol/l). The overall lipid profile is presented in
Table 3. One hundred and twenty-eight (43.7%) of the subjects
had normal lipid profiles while 165 (56.3%) had one form of
dyslipidaemia or another. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia in the
study was 56.3% (95% CI: 50.6–62.0%), while the prevalence
of atherogenic dyslipidaemia, i.e. elevated TC/HDL-C was 33.1%
(95% CI: 27.7–38.5%) (Table 3).
Table 1.
Socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects
Parameters
Mean ± SD
n
(%)
Age (years)
44.8 ± 9.7
25–44
147 (50.2)
45–64
139 (47.4)
> 65
7 (2.4)
Educational level
Primary 77 (26.3)
Secondary 177 (60.4)
Tertiary 37 (12.6)
Marital status
Married 265 (90.4)
Single 22 (7.5)
Widowed 3 (1.0)
Divorced 3 (1.0)
Number of years as a professional driver
20.0 ± 10.4
Number of hours driven per week
41.9 ± 28.7
Smoking pattern
Active smokers
57 (19.5)
Non-smokers
217 (74.1)
Ex-smokers
19 (6.5)
Alcohol use
User
208 (71.1)
Teetotaler
85 (29.0)
Table 2.
Measures of obesity, BP and glucose profile of the subjects
Parameters
Mean ± SD
n
(%)
BMI (kg/m
2
)
27.2 ± 9.6
Waist circumference (cm)
96.4 ± 0.9
Proportion < 102 cm
168 (66.4)
Proportion ≥ 102 cm
125 (43.3)
Neck circumference (cm)
39.2 ± 2.8
Proportion < 40 cm
171 (59.6)
Proportion ≥ 40 cm
131 (41.6)
Blood pressure
SBP (mmHg)
136.3 ± 20.9
DBP (mmHg)
83.2 ± 13.6
Total number of hypertensives
116 (39.7)
Newly diagnosed
88 (75.9)
Previously known hypertensives
29 (9.6)
Blood glucose
Fasting blood glucose (mg/dl)
108.2 ± 39.7
Normoglycaemia
158 (54.9)
Impaired fasting glucose
90 (31.3)
Total number of diabetics
40 (13.9)
Newly diagnosed diabetics
33 (82.5)
Previously known diabetics
7 (17.5)
SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure.
Fig. 2.
Prevalence of the various categories of BMI.
Table 3.
Pattern of lipid profiles of the subjects
Mean ± SD
Parameter
mg/dl
mmol/l
n
(%)
TC
218.4 ± 33.2
5.66 ± 0.86
LDL-C
136.4 ± 33.6
3.53 ± 0.87
HDL-C
57.7 ± 15.3
1.49 ± 0.40
TG
122.7 ± 64.1
1.39 ± 0.72
Non-HDL-C
161.0 ± 31.5
TC/HDL-C
3.8 ± 1.9
TG/HDL
3.7 ± 2.6
Abnormal profiles
Elevated TC
81 (27.8)
Elevated LDL-C
72 (24.6)
Low HDL-C
19 (6.5)
Elevated TC/HDL-C
96 (33.1)
Elevated TG/HDL-C
38 (13.0)
TC: total cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C:
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG: triglycerides.