Objective: To study the prevalence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) in children and adolescents and to describe the characteristics on age, gender and district distribution of schoolchildren, in Beijing.
Methods: A cross-sectional screening program the fasting capillary blood glucose (FCBG) was carried out in 19,593 schoolchildren in 7 areas of Beijing from March to October, 2004. According to the WHO diagnostic criteria: DM was set as FCBG < or = 6.1 mmol/L, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was set as 5.6 mmol/L < or = FCBG < 6.1 mmol/L.
Results: The total aggregate age-adjusted prevalence rates of DM and IFG were 5.7 per thousand and 13.5 per thousand, respectively. The prevalence rates of DM and IFG in males were significantly higher than that in females (7.7 per thousand vs. 3.6 per thousand and 26.8 per thousand vs. 11.3 per thousand. DM X2 = 12.27, P = 0.0005; IFG X2 =47.29, P = 0.0000). Among seven districts, East District had the highest prevalence rates of DM and IFG, 8.9 per thousand and 27.4 per thousand (companied high obesity 28.68%) while Ping-Gu District having the lowest ones as 2.0 per thousand and 7.5 per thousand (obese 12.75%) respectively (X2 = 13.75, and X2 = 32.65, P = 0.0002 and P < 0.0001). The DM prevalence rates between districts ranged from 2.0 per thousand to 8.9 per thousand, X2 = 18.94, P = 0.004 and the IFG prevalence of districts ranged from 7.5 per thousand to 27.4 per thousand (X2 = 52.05, P < 0.0001). The prevalence rates of DM among different age groups increased with age, with the highest prevalence of IFG on the 10-14 age group. Among boys, the highest prevalence rates of DM and IFG fell in the 15-18 and 10-14 age groups respectively while the highest prevalence rates on both DM and IFG among girls were in the same age group 10-14.
Conclusion: The high prevalence rates on DM and IFG were seen in Beijing and showed significant discrimination on age, gender and district distribution. More developed urban district and males had a higher prevalence, companied by higher obesity prevalence. Age seemed to be a high risk factor on DM for boys while the puberty development seemed a high risk factor for girls.