Research Paper
Year: 2023 | Month: March | Volume: 10 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 13-21
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230304
A Strategy for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Guyana: The Guyana Diabetes Risk Score
Hemchand Jhagru
Senior Registrar, Accident & Emergency Department, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Guyana
ABSTRACT
Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) imposes an enormous and mounting burden on global public health systems, especially in developing countries such as Guyana. However, primary prevention of type 2 diabetes can be achieved through organized lifestyle intervention programs for weight loss, increased physical activity and dietary restrictions. Therefore, there is a need to develop local risk stratification tools tailored to the local population to identify high-risk individuals who may benefit from these interventions.
Objectives: This study proposes implementing a program for the primary prevention of T2DM in high-risk adults (18 – 55 years) in Guyana. The main objective is to identify adults at high-risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus using a Diabetic Risk Score and to enroll the participants in a lifestyle intervention program.
Methods: The health belief model is a theoretical framework that guides health promotion programs by predicting health behaviours. A health promotion campaign will target high-risk adults at local healthcare facilities and across Guyana through television, radio and social media adverts. The health promotion adverts will inform and educate the target population to complete the Guyana Diabetic Risk Score questionnaire. If the score on the Guyana Diabetic Risk Score questionnaire exceeds 50, the participants will be enrolled in a lifestyle intervention program, 'Healthy Me'.
Results and Discussion: Minor changes in lifestyle, such as a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and healthy body weight, can reduce diabetes in high-risk adults by over 50%.
Conclusions: The Guyana Diabetes Risk Score is a low-cost, non-invasive, practical tool to identify individuals at high risk for T2DM in Guyana.
Keywords: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, T2DM, Guyana Diabetes Risk Score.
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