iMedPub Journals Our Site: http://www.imedpub.com/ © Copyright iMedPub 1 ARCHIVES OF MEDICINE 2014 Vol. 6 No. 1:2 doi: 10.3823/110 Impaired fasting glucose level and diabetes in Kaoma and Kasama rural districts of Zambia: prevalence and correlates in 2008- 2009 population based surveys 1 WHO Representative, World Health Organization, Lusaka, Zambia. 2 National Program Of fcer, Disease Prevention and Control, World Health Organization, Lusaka, Zambia. 3 Professor, Dean, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States of America. 4 Associate Professor, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi. 5 Lecturer, Clinical Sciences Department, Copperbelt University, Ndola, Zambia. 6 Biomedical Scientist, World Health Organisation, Lusaka, Zambia. 7 Biomedical scientist, World Health Organisation, Lusaka, Zambia. 8 National Program Of fce, Malaria, World Health Organization, Lusaka, Zambia. 9 Professor, Clinical Sciences Department, Copperbelt University, Ndola, Zambia. Correspondencia:  ssiziya@gmail.com Prof Seter Siziya Public Health Unit, Clinical Sciences Department School of Medicine, Copperbelt University P O Box 71191 Ndola, Zambia Olusegun Babaniyi 1 FMCPH, Peter Songolo 2 MPH, Emmanuel Rudatsikira 3 DrPH, Adamson S Muula 4 PhD, David Mulenga 5 MPH, Mazyanga L Mazaba-Liwewe 6 BSc, Idah Ndumba 7 BSc, Freddie Masaninga 8 PhD, Seter Siziya 8* PhD. This article is available from: www.archivesofmedicine.com Abstract Background: Impaired fasting glucose level has been associated with increased incidence of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, and diabetes is becoming a major public health problem in developing countries. The objective of the study was to deter- mine the prevalence and correlates for impaired fasting glucose level/diabetes in Kaoma and Kasama rural districts of Zambia. Methods and Findings: A cross sectional study using modifed World Health Organization (WHO) global non communicable diseases (NCD) surveillance initiative NCD STEPwise approach was used in the study. Proportions were compared using the Yates’ corrected Chi-square test, and a result yielding a p value of less than 5% was considered statistically signifcant. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Factors that were statistically signifcantly associated with the outcome in bivariate analyses were considered in a multivariate logistic regres- sion analysis using a backward variable selection method. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confdence intervals (CI) have been reported. Totals of 895 participants from Kaoma and 1198 from Kasama took part in the surveys. Overall, 4.1% of the participants in Kaoma and 1.8% of the participants in Kasama (p=0.004) had impaired fasting glucose level/diabetes, with no signifcant differences between sex in both districts. Respondents who were aged less than 45 years were less likely to have impaired glucose level/diabetes compared to those who were aged 45 years or older (OR=0.56, 95% CI [0.39, 0.81] in Kaoma and OR=0.55, 95% CI [0.33, 0.89] in Kasama). Conclusions: Prevalence of impaired fasting glucose level/diabetes may have been underestimated because impaired glucose test was not conducted. The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose level/diabetes varied between the two rural districts stu- died. Impaired fasting glucose level/diabetes was associated with age. Interventions to control diabetes should be district specifc and targeted at younger age groups in order to curtail the prevalence of diabetes in older age groups.