Diabetes incidence and projections from prevalence surveys in Samoa over 1978-2013

Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence, Control and Management within Fiji,Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu: A ScopingReview with a Systematic Approach

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) causes significant morbidity and is disproportionately prevalent in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The socio-political demographics of PICs are rapidly changing, and health services must adapt to match the needs of their population.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to review the literature published within the last 15 years relating to T2D prevalence, control, and management, with a specific focus on targetable areas for future funding and research projects.

METHODS

This review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were: discussion on T2D in the six PICs. Results were limited to those published between 1st January, 2006, and 27th July, 2023.

RESULTS

A total of 6,640 publications were retrieved, and 110 met the inclusion criteria. Nineteen additional studies were identified through hand-searching. T2D prevalence differed between countries but was predicted to increase in the coming decades, with projections of up to 31.2% by 2030 in Tonga. Factors associated with T2D varied between countries, including Indian-Fijian ethnicity in Fiji and tuberculosis in Kiribati. Control was generally poor, with high rates of undiagnosed diabetes and microvascular complications. Epidemiological data was limited in some cases, as was information describing the structure and function of diabetes services.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence, control, and management of T2D varied between Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Significant gaps remain in the data describing these domains; however, there are clearly targetable areas for future research and diabetes management programs.

Assessing Knowledge on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Child Health

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a diagnosis of glucose intolerance during pregnancy. The risk of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity for the child and mother increases when GDM develops. Preventing the development of GDM could help lower the prevalence of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus morbidity rates in children of affected mothers. The purpose of the study was to identify the awareness level of females ages 12 and 51 years, on the long-term risk of obesity and T2DM on their children in Australia and Samoa. This is a quantitative study involving 202 females, from across Australia and Samoa, between April 2021 and November 2021, comparing the level of knowledge between a developing and developed country. In Australia and Samoa, 15% (n=16) and 34% (n=33) of females respectively, were aware of the long-term complications of GDM on their children. These findings indicate that there is inadequate knowledge regarding the long-term consequences associated with GDM on both the risk for T2DM in women and the risk for long-term complications for their children. The greatest source of information in both countries was obtained from physicians or midwives, 52% (n=105). This supports the need for increased education on GDM, through social media, the internet, and community health professionals. By increasing awareness of GDM and implementing preventive strategies, it may be possible to reduce the prevalence of obesity and T2DM in Australia and Samoa.

Results of a community-based screening programme for chronic kidney disease and associated risk factors, (obesity, diabetes and hypertension) in a Samoan cohort

OBJECTIVES

In 2019, under the World Kidney Day theme of 'Kidney health for everyone everywhere', the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa undertook an extensive community screening campaign to detect the estimated prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its associated risk factors in the community.

SETTING

Fifteen screening sites, with 11 urban and rural sites on the main island of Upolu, and 4 in different rural areas on the island of Savaii.

PARTICIPANTS

All participants were self-referrals to the various screening sites. In total, 1163 Samoans were screened, with similar numbers from both urban and rural areas and similar numbers of female and male.

SCREENING ACTIVITIES

All participants were screened for CKD using point of care serum creatinine determinations, with calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate using the CKD-EPI formula and dipstix urinalysis. A standardised screening survey was used to capture demographic and medical history with associated risk factors of obesity, diabetes, using point of care determination of HbA1c and hypertension. Logistic regression was used to investigate the association of CKD with risk factors.

RESULTS

In total, 1163 people were screened for CKD within the month of March 2019. The prevalance of CKD (grades 1-5) was 44.5% (95% CI 41.6% to 47.4) with individual grade prevalence CKD 1: 3.7%, CKD 2: 6.1%, CKD 3: 30.7%, CKD 4: 2.9% and CKD 5: 1.0%. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥32), diabetes and hypertension was 66.3%, 30.8% and 54.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first paper to report the estimated prevalence of CKD in Samoa or any other Pacific Island nation. It reveals an urgent need for further studies on the epidemiology of CKD in Samoa, to develop country-specific prevention strategies to mitigate this growing burden and prevent subsequent CKD associated complications including development of kidney failure and premature death.

Obesity and incidence of diabetes: Effect of absence of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, inflammation and fatty liver

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Obesity is frequently associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), insulin resistance (IR), inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MetS), all of which increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the role of these risk factors in mediating the effect of obesity remains unclear. We investigated the association between obesity and T2DM in the absence and presence of NAFLD, IR, inflammation and MetS components.

METHODS

29,836 obese subjects without diabetes were studied in a Korean health screening program. Obesity was defined by the appropriate ethnic-specific body mass index (BMI) threshold ≥25 kg/m². Hazard ratios (HRs and 95% confidence intervals, CIs) for incident T2DM were estimated for the group with no hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose, fatty liver, IR, or inflammation (n = 1717), compared to the reference group, with one or more of these factors (n = 19,757).

RESULTS

Mean (SD) age at baseline was 37 (7) years and 1200 incident cases of diabetes occurred. Crude T2D incidence was 12.6/10,000 person-years in the group without metabolic abnormality and 143/10,000 person-years in the reference group. HR (95% CIs) for incident diabetes was 0.13 (0.06, 0.33) in the group without metabolic abnormality.

CONCLUSIONS

Obese subjects without components of the metabolic syndrome, IR, fatty liver and inflammation have an approximately 11-fold lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes than obese subjects who have these risk factors. These simple factors could be used to target limited resources in high risk obese subjects in the prevention of diabetes.

Tobacco smoking trends in Samoa over four decades: can continued globalization rectify that which it has wrought?

BACKGROUND

The island country of Samoa (population 188,000 in 2011) forms part of Polynesia in the South Pacific. Over the past several decades Samoa has experienced exceptional modernization and globalization of many sectors of society, with noncommunicable diseases (NCD) now the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The evolution of risk factor prevalence underpinning the increase in NCDs, however, has not been well described, including tobacco smoking which is related to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

METHODS

The present study examines tobacco smoking in relation to different forms and effects of globalization in Samoa using 7 population-based surveys (n = 9223) over 1978-2013.

RESULTS

The prevalence of daily tobacco smoking steadily decreased over 1978-2013 from 76% to 36% in men, and from 27% to 15% in women (p < 0.0001 both sexes). During 1991-2013, current tobacco smoking also steadily decreased from 64% to 40% in men (p < 0.0001), and from 21% to 17% in women (p < 0.05). Declines were similar in younger (25-44 years) and older (45-64 years) men and women. Colonial globalization facilitated the introduction and prolific spread of tobacco trade and consumption in the Pacific Islands from the sixteenth century, with many populations inexorably pulled into trade relations and links to the global economy. It has also been a different globalization which may have led to the decline in smoking prevalence in Samoa in recent decades, through global dissemination since the 1950s of information on the harmful effects of tobacco smoking derived from research studies in the USA and Europe.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the past 35 years tobacco smoking has steadily declined among Samoan adults; the only NCD risk factor to demonstrate marked declines during this period. By 2013 tobacco smoking in women had decreased to levels similar to Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), however in men smoking prevalence remained more than three times higher than ANZ. The impact on smoking prevalence of the variety of tobacco control interventions that have been implemented so far in Samoa need to be evaluated in order to determine the most effective initiatives that should be prioritized and strengthened.