Urban-rural comparisons of the prevalence of diabetes were made in a cohort of 2567 rural and 6190 urban participants aged 45 to 64, in the Puerto Rico Heart Health Program. The prevalence of diabetes in the urban population was more than double that in the rural. Consistent with this, blood glucose concentrations were significantly higher in urban than in rural populations.
The prevalence of diabetes increased with age and relative weight. It was associated with elevations of serum cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting serum triglycerides. A positive family history was found more commonly in diabetics than in nondiabetics. If there was a history in both a sibling and a parent, there was at least a threefold increased prevalence over those with no family history.
The reason for the higher prevalence of diabetes in the urban than in the rural area is elusive. In obese men, the urban and rural prevalence rates are the same, but, among relatively lean men, the prevalence in the urban area is twice that of the rural men.
