Objective:

In this study, we aimed to compare the FINDRISC questionnaire and the triglyceride/glucose index, used to determine the risk of diabetes in healthy individuals, and to investigate their relationships with obesity.

Method:

This study was planned as a retrospective review of the files of healthy individuals who had applied to a family medicine polyclinic for a periodic health examination. Sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, routine laboratory results from the same period, and the FINDRISC diabetes risk score found in the participants’ files were recorded in a separate file. The triglyceride/glucose (TyG) index was calculated using the appropriate formula. After the files meeting the exclusion criteria were removed, the study was completed with 879 people.

Results:

Of the participants, 66.7% (n=586) were male and the mean age was 37.20±11.8 years. The mean diabetes risk score calculated by FINDRISC for women was 10.92±4.9 points and the mean TyG index score was 8.56±0.5 points, while the mean diabetes risk score of men was 8.75±4.7 points and the mean TyG index score was 8.77±0.5. There was a statistically significant association between gender and both mean diabetes risk score and TyG index (p<0.001). Of the participants, 17.1% were found to be at high risk of developing diabetes within 10 years by the FINDRISC survey. There was a moderately significant positive correlation between the diabetes risk score and TyG index and body mass index.

Conclusion:

The FINDRISC questionnaire and TyG index are easy, practical, and cost-effective methods that can be used in primary health care centers in order to determine the risk of developing diabetes in the early period and inform individuals about this issue.

Keywords: healthy individual, diabetes risk, FINDRISC questionnaire, triglyceride/glucose index