Prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus among Vietnamese seafarers aboard merchant vessels

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a non-communicable, chronic disease that poses a leading burden of morbidity and mortality globally. Seafarers are specific labor exposed to various risk factors for diabetes, such as prolonged journeys, imbalanced nutrition, physical inactivity, and stress. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of DM among Vietnamese seafarers aboard merchant vessels.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by measuring fasting blood glucose levels of 1,290 male Vietnamese seafarers before they went to sea, from February to October 2024. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants regarding their age, work experience, education level, work site, rank, smoking habits, family history of DM, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, and symptoms of depression to identify associated factors.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 31.2 ± 10.6 years. The prevalence of DM and pre-diabetes was 5.4% and 22.3%, respectively. Associated factors with DM include having an age of 40 or more (OR = 2.83; 95%CI: 1.51-5.12); work experience ranging from 10 to 19 years (OR = 2.32; 95%CI: 1.25-4.31), work experience ≥ 20 years (OR = 3.05; 95%CI: 1.61-6.22) compared with less than 10 years, family history of diabetes (OR = 1.78; 95%CI: 1.04-3.22), non-officer (OR =1.98; 95%CI: 1.01-3.92), obesity (OR = 2.28; 95%CI: 1.56-3.89), hypertension (OR = 1.70; 95%CI: 1.04-2.79), dyslipidemia (OR = 1.98; 95%CI: 1.10-3.31), abdominal obesity (OR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.25-3.81), symptoms of depression (OR =1.66; 95%CI: 1.02-2.73), regular exercise (OR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.41-0.93), alcohol consumption in moderation (OR = 0.62; 95%CI: 0.41-0.83).

Conclusions: DM and pre-diabetes are public health problems affecting Vietnamese seafarers. It is necessary to implement educational programs, promote healthy lifestyles, and encourage regular health check-ups to enable the early detection of diabetes and its complications.