Prevalence and risk factors of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged women in Northern Vietnam

The existing gender difference in prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be explained partly by women’s reproductive patterns. A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and their association with reproductive patterns, socio-economic status, and anthropometric measures in Vietnamese women. Potential risk factors for the conditions were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression in the adjusted model, taken into account the influences of the reproductive patterns (age at menarche and menopause, year since menopause, number of children, and newborn weight), obesity-related measures, socio-economic status, and lifestyle-related factors. The age-adjusted prevalences of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes were 10.1 and 4.7 %, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes increased with age and reached a peak in the 60–64 group. Systolic blood pressure, waist–hip ratio, and family history of diabetes were the most significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The adjusted analysis model indicated that women with early menopause (45 years of age) were 3.4-fold and 2.7-fold more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, respectively, in comparison to women with normal age at menopause. More attention should be given to elderly women with early menopause, elevated systolic blood pressure, and increased obesity-related measures, who are at high risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.