Abstract:
Background: Undiagnosed diabetes mellitus is a condition in which an individual has not been
diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and currently whose blood glucose level fulfills the criteria set
for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Most of the studies conducted in Ethiopia show highly
varying findings regarding the prevalence and some of them recommended further studies on
associated factors. There were limited studies on diabetes mellitus in the study setting which
were even outdated and no study was available on undiagnosed diabetes in the area.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus and its associated factors
among adult residents in Mizan Aman town southwest Ethiopia, 2022.
Methods: Community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 23 to July 7,
2022, on 627 adults. A multistage sampling technique was used and data was collected using a
structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were taken
from each participant and a blood sample was taken in the early morning of the next day to
determine the fasting blood glucose level of participants. Data was entered into Epi-data version
3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science version 26 for analysis. Bivariate
analysis was computed to select candidate variables and a multivariable logistic regression model
was fitted to identify independent predictors. The adjusted odds ratio with its corresponding 95%
confidence interval was computed to measure association.
Results: This study revealed that the overall magnitude of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was
8.13% (95% CI: 6.1, 10.6). The predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus were physical
inactivity, family history of diabetes mellitus, current hypertension, fruit consumption of
fewer than three servings per week, and sedentary behavior.
Conclusion: The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was higher than the national
pooled prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes in Ethiopia. Physical inactivity, family history of
diabetes mellitus, current hypertension, sedentary behavior, and fruit servings fewer than three
per week were independent predictors of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.
Recommendations: The town health office and primary health care unit should have a plan for
community-based screening of diabetes mellitus and work on community awareness.
Researchers are expected to conduct further research to provide timely evidence and conduct
case-control studies to identify determinants of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus.
