ORIGINAL ARTICLE The association between self-rated health and impaired glucose tolerance in Swedish adults: A cross-sectional study

Objective. To investigate gender differences in the association between self-rated health (SRH) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in subjects unaware of their glucose tolerance. Design. A cross-sectional population-based study. Setting. The two municipalities of Vara and Sk ö vde in south-western Sweden. Subjects. A total of 2502 participants (1301 women and 1201 men), aged 30 – 75, were randomly selected from the population. Main outcome measures. IGT was regarded as the outcome measure and SRH as the main risk factor. Results. The prevalence of IGT was signifi cantly higher in women (11.9%) than in men (10.1%), (p 0.029), as was the prevalence of low SRH (women: 35.4%; men: 22.1%, p 0.006). Both men and women with low SRH had a poorer risk factor profi le than those with high SRH, and a statistically signifi-cant crude association between SRH and IGT was found in both men (OR 2.8, 95 % CI 1.8 – 4.4) and women (OR 1.5, 95 % CI 1.0 – 2.2, p 0.033). However, after controlling for several lifestyle factors and biomedical variables, the association was attenuated and remained statistically signifi cant solely in men (OR 2.3, 95 % CI 1.2 – 4.3). Conclusion. The gender-specifi c associations found between SRH and IGT suggest that SRH may be a better indicator of IGT in men than i