Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent condition that leads to elevated blood glucose levels and is a major
cause of mortality globally. The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is rapidly increasing
worldwide. Type 2 DM has several risk factors, including increasing age, physical inactivity,
overweight, poorly controlled hypertension, family history, abdominal obesity, and poor diet.
Unfortunately, between 30% and 50% of individuals with type 2 DM remain undiagnosed. This
study aimed to investigate the possible correlations between HbA1c levels and selected modifiable
risk factors for type 2 DM. The study used a descriptive, comparative, and quantitative investigation
that was conducted among 98 adults (42 males and 56 females) aged between 30 and 65 years.
Physical testing and a questionnaire were used to measure selected DM risk factors. The
demographic questionnaire was used to gather information on age, gender, family history, and
physical activity levels, while height, weight, blood pressure, and fasting glucose levels were
measured using standardised methods. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were
used to present the participants' characteristics, and inferential statistics, specifically analysis of
covariance and regression analysis, were used to determine correlations between HbA1c levels and
the selected risk factors. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. The findings showed a mean age
of 38.4 ± 8.58 years, a mean BMI of 29.54 ± 6.36 kg/m2, a mean systolic blood pressure of 124.52 ±
12.00 mm Hg, a mean diastolic blood pressure of 81.73 ± 9.60 mm Hg, a mean fasting blood glucose
of 5.24 ± 1.10 mmol/L, and a mean HbA1c of 5.12 ± 0.88%. The results showed a significant
correlation between HbA1c levels and: age (p=0.030, r=0.219), weight (p=0.025, r=0.226), waist
circumference (p=0.005, r=0.281), and a family history of diabetes (p=0.002). No significant
correlations were found between HbA1c levels and exercise (p=0.991), BMI (p=0.181, r=0.136), or
systolic blood pressure (p=0.787, r=-0.028). Furthermore, the findings support the use of either
capillary HbA1c or fasting capillary blood glucose testing when screening for DM, since there was a
significant correlation between these two methods in the current study (p=0.002, r=0.310). This study
demonstrated that screening for DM should include weight, waist circumference, age and family
history.
Keywords: diabetes mellitus, risk factors, HbA1c, physical inactivity, body mass index.