English Abstract The feasibility of monitoring the prevalence of
diabetes mellitus within the framework of the Monitoring Project on
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors was investigated. Furthermore,
different methods for the measurement of body girths were compared. Data
were collected in 1992 from 155 men and 156 women from Doetinchem, aged
20-59 years. In 129 men and 127 women of this group a glucose tolerance
test (GTT) was done as well as a non-fasting measurement of serum glucose
and insulin. In addition, we used data of 436 men aged 70-89 years, who
were investigated in 1990 in a follow-up round of the Zutphen Study. Using
multiple regression analysis we assessed the fasting and 2-hr glucose level
from the non-fasting glucose level, the time since the last meal, and the
carbohydrate level of this meal. This was also done for insuline. A low
sensitivity was found (33%). We therefore concluded that non-fasting
glucose was not a very good indicator of diabetes mellitus. However it was
observed that 15% of the participants had not had breakfast on the morning
of the investigation. We therefore recommend to take non-fasting blood
samples from the participants and to ask at what time the last meal was
consumed. It will then be possible to predict diabetes mellitus reasonably
well in the fasting group. In the other part of the study four methods for
the measurement of body girths were compared. Data were collected from 135
men and 131 women aged 20-59 years from Doetinchem. The methods
investigated were: a measurement according to WHO-criteria, a measurement
carried out by the participants themselves, a fully dressed measurement, and
a reference measurement. The fully dressed measurement correlated well with
the reference measurement. However, the correlation between the reference
measurement and the measurement according to WHO-criteria was somewhat lower
in women. Furthermore, it appeared during the course of the study that the
practical feasibility of the measurement according to WHO-criteria was high.
This method has therefore been incorporated in the MORGEN-project since
1-1-1993.
