A Cross-Sectional Study of the Effects of Stressors Upon Blood Glucose Levels in Non-Obese Patients in Rural Western Kenya

Abstract

In order to more effectively address the expansion of type 2 diabetes worldwide, this study investigated the role that stressors and the stress response play in the development of diabetes. This study analyzed clinical data collected from a sample population of 685 subjects of Luo ethnicity who attended a clinic in May, 2010, in rural western Kenya. Stressors were self-reported by the patients, and blood glucose levels were determined from blood samples. Diabetes, measured as blood glucose levels over 200 mg/dL, was found to be unrelated to body mass index, an accepted measure for obesity (X^2 = 2.51, df = 5, p = 0.7753).