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Abstract
Objective. To investigate gender differences in the association between self-rated health (SRH) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in subjects unaware of their glucose tolerance. Design. A cross-sectional population-based study. Setting. The two municipalities of Vara and Skövde in south-western Sweden. Subjects. A total of 2502 participants (1301 women and 1201 men), aged 30–75, were randomly selected from the population. Main outcome measures. IGT was regarded as the outcome measure and SRH as the main risk factor. Results. The prevalence of IGT was significantly higher in women (11.9%) than in men (10.1%), (p = 0.029), as was the prevalence of low SRH (women: 35.4%; men: 22.1%, p = 0.006). Both men and women with low SRH had a poorer risk factor profile than those with high SRH, and a statistically significant crude association between SRH and IGT was found in both men (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.8–4.4) and women (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.0–2.2, p = 0.033). However, after controlling for several lifestyle factors and biomedical variables, the association was attenuated and remained statistically significant solely in men (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.2–4.3). Conclusion. The gender-specific associations found between SRH and IGT suggest that SRH may be a better indicator of IGT in men than in women. Future studies should evaluate the utility of SRH in comparison with objective health measures as a potential aid to health practitioners when deciding whether to screen for IGT and T2DM.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the participants from Vara and Skövde who made this study possible.
Ethics
Written consent was obtained from each participant, and the Regional Ethical Review Board at Gothenburg University, Sweden, approved the study protocol.
Declaration of interests
The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
The study was funded by the National Research Foundation Council (VR), Sweden, West Götaland Region including Skaraborg Primary Care, University of Skövde, Sweden, the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, Sweden, and Skaraborg Institute in Skövde, Sweden.