Comparison of diabetes risk estimate in the cities of Riyadh and Amman

A significant rise in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Middle-east and North Africa (MENA) region has seen over the last few decades. The present observational study aimed to evaluate and compare the risk of developing T2DM in the cities of Riyadh and Amman using the Arab Diabetes Risk Assessment Questionnaire (ARABRISK). The ARABRISK was administered in a total of 1116 healthy male and female individuals in the age group of 40 to 74 years with no prior history of diabetes in the city of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Amman (Jordan). ARABRISK is an Arabic version of the Canadian Diabetes Risk Assessment Questionnaire (CANRISK), which was adapted and validated for the use in Arab-speaking individuals in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The participants from Amman region had higher mean total ARABRISK score compared to the Riyadh region for all categories of ARABRISK. However, the difference was significant in both low- and high-risk categories (P = .02 and P = .01, respectively) but not significant for moderate category (P = .17). In the Riyadh population, female participants had significantly higher ARABRISK total scores compared to male in both moderate- and high-risk categories (P = .01). However, in the Amman population, male participants had significantly higher ARABRISK total scores compared to female in both low- and moderate-risk categories (P = .01). The present study suggested an increased risk of developing T2DM in the cities of Riyadh and Amman. However, the population of Amman had a higher risk of developing T2DM compared to the population of Riyadh.