Risk factors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases among Jamaican adolescents

Abstract

The study examined Jamaican adolescents for risk factors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A descriptive epidemiological cross‐sectional study of 276 Jamaican adolescents ages 14–19 years was conducted. Subjects were randomly selected from grades 9–12 from ten high schools on the island. Fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, A1c, blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, waist‐to‐hip ratio, family history of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, low physical activity, and presence of Acanthosis Nigricans were examined. Waist circumference, waist‐to‐hip ratio, Acanthosis Nigricans, total cholesterol, family history of T2D, and blood pressure were the strongest predictors of BMI (p =.001). Gender significantly predicted physical activity (p =.001), and total number of risk factors for T2D and CVD (p = .001). Jamaican adolescent females were less physically active and had significantly higher number of risk factors than males. Total number of risk factors ranged from 0–10, 83 % of subjects reported ≥3 risk factors. Jamaican adolescents are at risk of T2D and CVD. Family history of disease and anthropometric measures identified more subjects at risk than did the blood measures. Jamaican adolescent females reported more risk factors for T2D and CVD when compared to the males. Intervention measures are needed to educate the adolescents to reduce the risk factors.