Epidemiological situation of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Ukraine: challenges and priorities for public health management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2077-6594/2026.1/03Keywords:
public health, management, type 2 diabetes, morbidity, disability, mortality, mortality, risk factors, preventionAbstract
Purpose: To conduct a comprehensive analysis of the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Ukraine from 1990 to 2023, compared with the WHO European Region and EU countries, in order to inform national public health priorities. Materials and methods. This retrospective descriptive and analytical study used data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD 2023) database. Age-standardized rates of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), including years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs), were analyzed. The contribution of metabolic (high body mass index), behavioral (smoking and low physical activity), and dietary risk factors to the T2DM burden were assessed. Results. Between 1990 and 2023, the incidence and prevalence of T2DM in Ukraine increased by 47.7% and 48.8%, respectively. Mortality increased by 8.5%, in marked contrast to the declining trends observed in EU countries. The overall T2DM burden, measured in DALYs, rose by 37.9%, driven primarily by a 52.2% increase in YLDs, indicating suboptimal secondary prevention. High body mass index remained the leading risk factor, accounting for 63.7% of T2DM-related DALYs, followed by dietary factors (18.5%), smoking (8.8%), and low physical activity (4.4%). Notable increases were observed in DALYs attributable to overwait and obesity (+40.2%) and low physical activity (+39.9%), underscoring the limited effectiveness of existing prevention efforts. Conclusions. The T2DM epidemic in Ukraine has not yet reached its peak and is largely driven by modifiable risk factors. Reducing the future burden of T2DM will require a shift from a predominantly curative approach toward a comprehensive public health and disease management strategy emphasizing primary prevention, obesity control, healthy nutrition, physical activity promotion, and systematic epidemiological surveillance based on GBD data.
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