Department of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia.
Int J Equity Health. 2009 Mar 11;8:6. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-8-6.
Diabetes and its associated complications are part of a chronic disease global epidemic that presents a public health challenge. Epidemiologists examining health differences between men and women are being challenged to recognise the biological and social constructions behind the terms 'sex' and/or 'gender', together with social epidemiology principles and the life course approach. This paper examines the epidemiology of a population with diabetes from the north-west metropolitan region of South Australia.
Data were used from a sub-population with diabetes (n = 263), from 4060 adults aged 18 years and over living in the north-west suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Eligible respondents were asked to participate in a telephone interview, a self-report questionnaire and a biomedical examination. Diabetes (undiagnosed and diagnosed) was determined using self-reported information and a fasting blood test administered to participants. Data were analysed using SPSS (Version 10.0) and EpiInfo (Version 6.0).
Factors associated with diabetes for both men and women were being aged 40 years and over, and having a low gross annual household income, obesity and a family history of diabetes. In addition, being an ex-smoker and having low cholesterol levels were associated with diabetes among men. Among women, having a high waist-hip ratio, high blood pressure and reporting a previous cardiovascular event or mental health problem were associated with diabetes.
The results found that men and women with diabetes face different challenges in the management of their condition. Public health implications include a need for quality surveillance data, including epidemiological life course, social, behavioural, genetic and environmental factors. This will enrich the evidence base for health promotion professionals and allow policy makers to draw inferences and conclusions for interventions and planning purposes.
糖尿病及其相关并发症是全球慢性病流行的一部分，对公共卫生构成挑战。研究男女健康差异的流行病学家面临的挑战是，认识到“性别”一词背后的生物学和社会构建，以及社会流行病学原则和生命历程方法。本文从澳大利亚南部西北地区的一个人群研究了糖尿病的流行病学。
本研究的数据来自南澳大利亚阿德莱德西北部郊区居住的 4060 名年龄在 18 岁及以上的人群中的一个亚人群，该亚人群中有 263 名糖尿病患者。合格的受访者被要求参加电话访谈、自我报告问卷调查和生物医学检查。通过自我报告的信息和对参与者进行的空腹血检来确定糖尿病（未确诊和确诊）。使用 SPSS（版本 10.0）和 EpiInfo（版本 6.0）分析数据。
与男性和女性的糖尿病相关的因素是年龄在 40 岁及以上、家庭年收入低、肥胖和有糖尿病家族史。此外，男性中与糖尿病相关的因素还包括曾吸烟和胆固醇水平低。女性中与糖尿病相关的因素包括腰臀比高、高血压以及报告心血管疾病发作或心理健康问题。
研究结果发现，患有糖尿病的男性和女性在管理其病情方面面临不同的挑战。公共卫生方面的影响包括需要高质量的监测数据，包括流行病学的生命历程、社会、行为、遗传和环境因素。这将丰富健康促进专业人员的证据基础，并使政策制定者能够为干预和规划目的进行推断和得出结论。
