Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in ethnic minority adults living in rural Yunnan province, China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is increasing in rural China. Little data is available about their prevalence among ethnic minorities in rural China. Eleven villages were randomly selected from Yunnan province, China. Six hundred thirty-four randomly selected subjects from six ethnic minorities and the Han ethnic majority participated in a cross-sectional survey, which included blood pressure (BP) and HbA1c measurements. From each village, 70–90 men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 years were randomly selected. The prevalence and self-reported history of HTN and DM were evaluated in these seven ethnic groups. The prevalence of DM was 6.3 %, with variability between ethnic groups, ranging from 2.7 % in the Tibetan group to 9.8 % in the Han group (P = 0.09). HTN prevalence also varied from 30.5 % in the Lisu group to 54.7 % in the Tibetan group (P = 0.003). Only 22.5 % (9/40) and 47.7 % (112/235) of those diagnosed with DM and HTN, respectively, had reported a known history of their condition. The prevalence of DM varied across ethnic groups, with Han people having a greater prevalence than the ethnic minorities. As most subjects with DM or HTN were not actually aware of their condition, there is need for increased screening and education promotion in this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wang L, Kong L, Bai Y, Burton R. Preventing chronic diseases in China. Lancet. 2005;366:1821–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Le C, Chongsuvivatwong V, Geater A. Contextual socioeconomic determinants of cardiovascular risk factors in rural south-west China: a multilevel analysis. BMC Publ Health. 2007;7:72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Yang W, Lu J, Weng J, Jia W, Ji L, Xiao J, et al. Prevalence of diabetes among men and women in China. N Engl J Med. 2010;362:1090–101.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Liu L. Cardiovascular diseases in China. Biochem Cell Biol. 2007;85:157–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Li J, Luo C, Dent R, Jacoby P, Klerk ND. Maternal mortality in Yunnan, China: recent trends and associated factors. BJOG. 2007;114:865–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Yang S, Liu S, Wang Y, Wan H, Zhao D, Li Y, et al. High blood pressure in Chinese ethnic minorities: report from rural Yunnan province. Am J Hypertens. 2011;24:1209–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Bloomgarden Z. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:e24–30.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sowers J, Epstein M, Frohlich E. Diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Hypertension. 2001;37:1053–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Grundy SM, Benjamin IJ, Burke GL, Chait A, Eckel RH, Howard BV, et al. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: a statement from healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 1999;100:1134–46.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Selvin E, Marinopoulos S, Berkenblit G, Rami T, Brancati FL, Powe NR, et al. Meta-analysis: glycosylated hemoglobin and cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:421–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. World Health Organization, International Society of Hypertension Writing Group. 2003 World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Hypertension (ISH) statement of management of hypertension. J Hypertens. 2003;21:1983–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Zhou XH, Ji LN, Luo YY, Zhang XY, Han XY, Qiao Q. Performance of HbA1c for detecting newly diagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes in Chinese communities living in Beijing. Diabet Med. 2009;26:1262–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hu FB. Globalization of diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:1249–57.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Feng Y, Yang Y, Ma X, Chen K, Wu N, Wang D, et al. Prevalence of diabetes among Han, Manchu, and Korean ethnicities in the Mudanjiang area of China: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Publ Health. 2012;12:23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Shi L. Health care in China: a rural–urban comparison after the socioeconomic reforms. Bull World Health Organ. 1993;71:723–36.

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Zhang D, Unschuld P. China’s barefoot doctor: past, present, and future. Lancet. 2008;372:1865–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the research participants in rural Yunnan; the local village, town, and county leaders; and the village doctors. We are also appreciative of the volunteer interns and staff of China California Heart Watch, especially Shan Shan Chen and Yun Wei, for their invaluable contribution to the data collection process and their logistical support for the research team. This study was supported by funding through China California Heart Watch.

Disclosure

Dr. Detrano is the volunteer director of the China California Heart Watch. Dr. Hu, Dr. Detrano, and Dr. Huo are volunteer board members of the China California Heart Watch. Dr. Hu is board president.

Conflict of interest

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Thuy-Linh Ngoc Nguyen

  2. Program in Public Health, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Shireen Zynab Khalife

  3. Department of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China

    Song Yuan Tang

  4. Department of Cardiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Dayi Hu

  5. Department of Cardiology, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Yong Huo

  6. Department of Biostatistics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Laurie Dustin & Stanley P. Azen

  7. Department of Radiological Sciences and Program in Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Robert Charles Detrano

  8. Department of Radiological Sciences and Program in Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92677, USA

    Robert Charles Detrano

Authors
  1. Thuy-Linh Ngoc Nguyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shireen Zynab Khalife
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Song Yuan Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dayi Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yong Huo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Laurie Dustin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Stanley P. Azen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Robert Charles Detrano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Charles Detrano.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nguyen, TL.N., Khalife, S.Z., Tang, S.Y. et al. Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in ethnic minority adults living in rural Yunnan province, China. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 34, 50–55 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-013-0137-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-013-0137-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation