Arman Md Sakil, Sarker Md Nayem, Ahmed Jawad, Trisha Aporajita Das, Rahman Sadia, Shakib Md Monjurul Haq, Alam Towhidul, Hasan Zafrul
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jun 24;5(6):e0004828. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004828. eCollection 2025.
Diabetes remains a silent epidemic in underrepresented high-risk groups like professional drivers, highlighting the urgent need for informed health policies and targeted interventions. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and related health awareness among professional drivers in northeastern Bangladesh using opportunistic random blood glucose (RBG) testing to address knowledge gaps and inform health policy. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,454 participants enrolled between February 5, 2024 and July 27, 2024, using a consent-based questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and RBG testing with a glucometer. Diabetes awareness was assessed using pre-tested questionnaires, while the prevalence of diabetes and associated factors were evaluated using Mann-Whitney U tests, Welch ANOVA, and Spearman correlation analysis. A total of 2.20% of the driver population were found to have undiagnosed diabetes. RBG levels differed significantly across regions. Middle age (7.63%) and overweight (3.77%) groups exhibited the highest prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. Confounding variables such as BMI (r = 0.22, p < 0.0001), age (r = 0.19, p < 0.0001), and sleep duration (r = -0.05, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with glucose levels, indicating potential risk factors for diabetes. The obese group (AOR: 3.04, 95% CI: 0.81-11.46) and overweight group (AOR: 1.81, 95% CI: 0.83-3.99) were 3.04 and 1.81 times more likely, respectively, to develop diabetes compared to the healthy weight group. Participants with less than 7 hours of sleep (AOR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.46-2.75) were also at greater risk. Co-morbidities and a family history of diabetes were also significantly associated with elevated RBG levels. Overall, this study highlights the regional and behavioral disparities influencing the development of diabetes risk among professional drivers, a population often neglected in health policy. It underscores the need for health education and large-scale RBG testing to improve awareness and alert policymakers in formulating effective health guidelines.
在职业司机等代表性不足的高风险群体中，糖尿病仍然是一种悄无声息的流行病，这凸显了制定明智的健康政策和有针对性干预措施的迫切需求。本研究旨在通过机会性随机血糖（RBG）检测，评估孟加拉国东北部职业司机中未确诊糖尿病的患病率及相关健康意识，以填补知识空白并为健康政策提供参考。2024年2月5日至2024年7月27日期间，对1454名参与者进行了一项横断面研究，采用基于知情同意的问卷、人体测量以及用血糖仪进行RBG检测。使用预先测试的问卷评估糖尿病知晓情况，同时使用曼-惠特尼U检验、韦尔奇方差分析和斯皮尔曼相关性分析评估糖尿病患病率及相关因素。结果发现，在司机群体中，共有2.20%的人患有未确诊的糖尿病。不同地区的RBG水平存在显著差异。中年（7.63%）和超重（3.77%）人群中未确诊糖尿病的患病率最高。体重指数（BMI，r = 0.22，p < 0.0001）、年龄（r = 0.19，p < 0.0001）和睡眠时间（r = -0.05，p = 0.04）等混杂变量与血糖水平显著相关，表明这些可能是糖尿病的危险因素。肥胖组（比值比：3.04，95%置信区间：0.81 - 11.46）和超重组（比值比：1.81，95%置信区间：0.83 - 3.99）患糖尿病的可能性分别是正常体重组的3.04倍和1.81倍。睡眠时间不足7小时的参与者（比值比：1.13，95%置信区间：0.46 - 2.75）患糖尿病的风险也更高。合并症和糖尿病家族史也与RBG水平升高显著相关。总体而言，本研究突出了影响职业司机糖尿病风险发展的地区和行为差异，这一人群在健康政策中常常被忽视。它强调了开展健康教育和大规模RBG检测以提高认识并提醒政策制定者制定有效健康指南的必要性。
