Predicting likely diabetics among taxi drivers in Algeria based on risk factors prevalence

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the probability of developing type 2 diabetes among the” taxi drivers of the county of Tlemcen in the next 10 years based on risk factors prevalence and give
them feedback as an incentive to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. To evaluate the potentially existing risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the Finnish Diabetes Risk score was used to design a questionnaire that was randomly administered to 178 taxi drivers. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v.26 at 0.05 and our survey was performed in September 2019. We found that the probability of developing the disease among the taxi drivers who were over 55 years was higher than those who were under 55 years. In addition, eating fruits and vegetables regularly had no significant impact on reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes whereas physical activity showed a significant impact. Also, taxi drivers were characterized by a lack of physical activity and 35.3% of them did not have health insurance. An active policy can be initiated by including discounts in sports clubs for people below 55 years old, and free access for those
over 55.