Prevalence and correlates of diabetes and metabolic syndrome in a rural indigenous community in Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundDiabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Mexico and understudied among indigenous populations. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and identify correlates of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (Type 2 DM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a rural, indigenous community in Northwestern Mexico.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in the community of San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico, among a sample of households. A total of 275 participants (≥18 years old) underwent a questionnaire, physical examination, and serologic test. Prevalence and adjusted odds ratio (AOR), using logistic regression modeling, were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).ResultsThe prevalence of Type 2 DM and MetS was 21.8 and 53.1%, respectively. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) age and body mass index of study participants was 35.8 ± 13.0 years and 28.7 ± 5.6 kg/m2, respectively. Participants were 75% female and 60.7% self-identified as indigenous. Thirty-seven percent of adults had high blood pressure. After controlling for age, higher educational attainment had a protective effect on Type 2 DM (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.20, 0.77). Additionally, the presence of MetS was associated with being female (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.23, 4.14) and having lower educational attainment (AOR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.37, 0.94).ConclusionsThe prevalence of Type 2 DM and MetS was high in this rural and indigenous population, and education was shown to play a critical role. These findings support the need for community-inclusive health-promoting interventions in rural communities.

Metabolic syndrome in indigenous communities in Mexico: a descriptive and cross-sectional study

“…Such significant changes in the prevalence of MetS could reflect the acculturation of a genetically susceptible population and the adoption of an obesogenic environment [19,20,24]. This assertion is supported by the observation that indigenous communities close to urban areas have a higher prevalence of metabolic disorders relative to communities with the same genetic background that remain isolated [19,24,32,33,34]. Examples of the genetic variants that could have been selected and that have the highest frequency in mestizo and indigenous populations are a haplotype spanning SLC16A11 and conferring a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the ABCA1/R230C functional variant, which has been consistently associated with low HDL-C levels [7,35].…”

What does it mean to conduct participatory research with Indigenous peoples? A lexical review

“…Research on Indigenous peoples differs from with Indigenous peoples, which requires ‘relational accountability’ [4, 5]. At best, research on Indigenous peoples yields findings of reduced validity and reliability [6]; at worst, it exacerbates the longstanding overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples who experience poor wellbeing [7, 8].…”

The Impact of Childhood Growth Stunting and Post-Migration Dysbiosis on the Development of Metabolic Syndrome Among Indigenous Immigrant Mexican Women

“…Alternatively, pre-processed high sugar/high fat foods are plentiful and inexpensive (Albrecht et al, 2013; Frisco et al, 2019). Consumption of these foods adversely affects insulin sensitivity (Santiago-Torres et al, 2016), resulting in weight gain and truncal obesity, progressing to MetS (Morales et al, 2014; Pacheco et al, 2018). Among Hispanic immigrant women, abdominal adiposity appears to be a stronger contributor to MetS than elevated blood pressure or lipid and glucose metabolism (Heiss et al, 2014).…”