Yunianto et al (2019): Blood glucose status December 2019 Vol. 11 ©Annals of Tropical Medicine & Public Health S328 Association between Sweet Food and Blood Glucose Status of Men and Women in Rural Areas Andi Eka Yunianto 1) *, Ali Khomsan 2) , Cesilia Meti Dwiriani 2) ,Naufal Muharam Nurdin 2) 1 Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Science, Siliwangi University, Tasikmalaya, Indonesia 2 Department of Community Nutrition, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia *Corresponding author: Andi Eka Yunianto,Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Science, Siliwangi University, Jl. Siliwangi No.24, Tasikmalaya, Indonesia.Email: andiekayunianto@gmail.com Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder determined by the degree of hyperglycemia. High blood glucose status is a public health problem not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.The prevalence of diabetes in rural areas is increasing.Dietary shift, such as sweet food consumption, is associated with blood glucose status. Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the association between sweet foodand blood glucose status of men and women in rural areas. Method: The design of this study was cross-sectional, and this study was conducted on 112 people aged 45-59 years from 56 households in Cisalak Village, Cibeber Subdistrict, Cianjur Regency. Chi-square test was used to analyze the association between sweet food and blood glucose status. Results: The results showed that sweet food consumption in women wasmore often than men. Sweet foods (OR = 8.438; 95% CI: 1.377 – 51.706) were significantly related to blood glucose status among men than women (OR = 0.837; 95% CI: 0.089 – 7.886). Conclusion: There is an association between sweet food consumption and blood glucose status in men. This study suggeststhe importance of limiting sweet food consumption so that the blood glucose status can be controlled. Keywords: Blood glucose status, rural area, sweet foods How to cite this article: Yunianto AE, Khomsan A, et al (2019): Association between sweet food and blood glucose status of men and women in rural areas, Ann Trop & Public Health; 22(11): S328. DOI: http://doi.org/10.36295/ASRO.2019.22116 Introduction The increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in various countries shows that diabetes has become a global threat to people throughout the world. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2013 estimated that developing countries and poor countries were the regions that would have a higher increase in the prevalence of DM. Indonesia ranks 7 th in the global prevalence of DM, with a total of 8.5 million diabetic adults (1).Based on the Ministry of Health (MoH), the prevalence of DM in Indonesia among people aged ≥15 years increased from 5.7% in 2008 to 6.9% in 2014. There was also a significant increase in the prevalence of DM in rural areas from 4.4% in 2007 to 7.0% in 2013. The West Java Province showed a significant increase in the prevalence of DM, from 1.3% in 2007 to 2.0% in 2013 (2,3).Middle age is a susceptible age for DM and its macrovascular and microvascular complications(4,5). A study conducted onrural middle-aged people in Bali Province showed that the prevalence of DM was 27.4% (6). The increased risks of DM begin from the age of 35 to more than 65 years. These risks may increase with the increasing age and an unhealthy lifestyle. Middle-aged people were 8.9 times at higher risk of having DM than adults in rural and urban communities (7). High blood glucose status is defined as an intermediate state characterized by glycemic parameters above the normal level but below the cut-off points for diabetes, including the impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (8,9). Changes in people’s lifestyles from traditional to modern -- one of which is high-calorie food consumption such as sweet foods that are high in sugar content -- cause DM (10). This is following previous research conducted by Bell (2006) showing factors that influence the increase in blood glucose in rural communities, namely the consumption of foods that are high in sugar content(11).Sweet food consumption is an essential factor in the increased prevalence of DM in rural areas (12). Sweet food consumption correlates with the increased adipose tissue and inflammation, resulting in overweight. Overweight also has an impact on insulin resistance resulting in the incidence of DM (13,14). The excessive consumption of sweet food also affects the function of pancreatic beta cells in producing less amount of insulin (15). Cases of diabetes, in general, are found in urban areas compared to rural areas, while research conducted in rural areas, especially in Indonesia has not been found.Therefore, our current study aimed to investigate the association between sweet food consumption and blood glucose status