Prevalence rates of impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus in various Pacific populations according to the new WHO criteria

This report gives the prevalence rates of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) for several Micronesian, Polynesian, and Melanesian populations in the Pacific region according to the new WHO criteria. The Micronesian population of Nauru show the highest prevalence rates of both IGT (22.7%) and DM (30.3%) - 53% of the adult population thus demonstrating abnormal glucose tolerance. The lowest prevalence rates of both IGT (4.5%) and DM (1.5%) were seen in the rural Melanesian population of the main island of New Caledonia.