A quantitative analysis of the influence of a household’s income, access to food and education level on the prevalence of diabetes in adults: a secondary analysis of data from the South African General Household Survey of 2014.

Abstract

As diabetes mellitus is becoming a burgeoning epidemic in South Africa, preventative measures are required to stop its prevalence in adults. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the South African General Household Survey data to try and understand the influence of a household’s average per capita income, access to food and the head of the household’s average educational level on the prevalence of diabetes in adults. It specifically looks at the data from a household level and not an individual level and uses literature to support and give meaning to the results. Furthermore, this study used bivariate analysis to determine if there is a difference between adult residents who have diabetes and adult residents who do not have diabetes. In addition to this, a multiple logistic regression was conducted to explain any significant effect of the three key variables under study. Results indicate that there is a difference in all three variables between households with adult residents with diabetes and households without adult residents with diabetes. Furthermore, only the head of the household’s average education level had a significant effect on the prevalence of diabetes. These findings suggest that there is some influence on the prevalence of diabetes for individuals who have higher levels of education. This entry level study tried to make sense of these findings in terms of literature to inform future and more direct in-depth research which is urgently required to understand and combat the increasing prevalence of diabetes in South Africa. Significantly, the conclusion of this study suggests that the General Household Survey incorporates both type I diabetes mellitus and type II diabetes mellitus in their questionnaire, as these are unique diseases with their own risk factors and which require different preventative measures.