National and regional prevalence rates of diabetes in Saudi Arabia: analysis of national survey data

Background

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has grown globally including Saudi Arabia. However, there are no recent national and regional reports about DM in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the national and regional prevalence rates of DM among the Saudi population.

Methods

Data from an ongoing household health survey that was carried out by the General Authority for Statistics in 2017 was utilized in this study. The study sample was selected by including 24,012 households which was representative of the population and distributed according to the 13 administrative regions. A self-reported diagnosis of DM was collected by asking subjects if they have been diagnosed by a doctor.

Results

The proportion of DM was 8.5% among the Saudi Arabia population (≥ 15 years) and was higher in male (10.3%) than female (9.9%). The prevalence of DM among the age group ≥ 60 years was the highest (49.2%), followed by the age group 45–64 years (38.9%) while the lowest prevalence was found among the younger group < 40 years (15.3%). There was a large difference between regions ranging from 7.3% in Najran to 11% in Makkah.

Conclusion

This study showed the recent national and regional prevalence rates of DM among Saudi populations. The high prevalence of DM in Saudi Arabia requires an urgent public health call to improve early detection program and lifestyle interventions. This study urges to minimize the health and economic burden of DM by establishing and implementing a national diabetes prevention program.