Urbanization and the Rising Burden of Diabetes Mellitus through an Epidemiological Analysis of Urban Population Risk Factors
DOI:
Abstract
This research investigated how diabetes spreads and what triggers it within Vietnam’s urban centers. Our team used a quantitative cross-sectional design to get a clear epidemiological snapshot. Between January and April 2025, the gathered data from 1,250 residents across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. A direct measurement of BMI, waist-to-hip ratios, and fasting blood glucose, while also using questionnaires to track participant lifestyles. To round out the analysis, we pulled secondary figures from WHO databases and national health reports. The results are concerning. By 2025, diabetes prevalence in these cities hit 7.2%, but prediabetes is the bigger story, affecting 14.8% of the population. Geographically, Ho Chi Minh City leads with an 8.2% rate, followed by Hanoi at 6.9% and Da Nang at 6.0%. When looking at why these numbers are climbing, obesity (OR 3.45) and sedentary habits (OR 2.80) stand out as the primary culprits, alongside hypertension and genetics. It is clear that Vietnam’s rapid shift to urban living is driving this metabolic crisis. Moving forward, we need deeper research into how long-term city environments and changing diets specifically accelerate this disease.
Downloads
Views : 14
Downloads : 5
References
T. H. L. Vu et al., “Comorbidities of diabetes and hypertension in Vietnam: current burden, trends over time, and correlated factors,” BMC Public Health, vol. 23, no. 1, p. 2419, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17383-z.
C. D. Zick et al., “The changing food environment and neighborhood prevalence of type 2 diabetes,” SSM - Population Health, vol. 21, p. 101338, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101338.
B. García Bulle Bueno et al., “Effect of mobile food environments on fast food visits,” Nat. Commun., vol. 15, p. 2291, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46425-2.
T. Biswas et al., “Type 2 diabetes and hypertension in Vietnam: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies between 2000 and 2020,” BMJ Open, vol. 12, no. 8, p. e052725, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052725.
International Diabetes Federation, “Viet Nam,” in IDF Diabetes Atlas, 11th ed. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation, 2025. [Online]. Available: https: //diabetesatlas.org/data-by-location/country/viet-nam/. [Accessed: Jan. 5, 2026].
H. T. K. Pham et al., “Direct medical costs of diabetes and its complications in Vietnam: A national health insurance database study,” Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract., vol. 162, p. 108051, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108051
L. L. Landais et al., “Office workers' perspectives on physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a qualitative study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 621, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13024-z
A. A. M. Hezam, H. B. M. Shaghdar, and L. Chen, “The connection between hypertension and diabetes and their role in heart and kidney disease development,” J. Res. Med. Sci., vol. 29, p. 22, Apr. 2024, doi: 10.4103/jrms.jrms_470_23.
S. Klein, A. Gastaldelli, H. Yki-Järvinen, and P. E. Scherer, “Why does obesity cause diabetes?” Cell Metab., vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 11–20, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.012.
Y. Y. Mo et al., “Adipose Tissue Plasticity: A Comprehensive Definition and Multidimensional Insight,” Biomolecules, vol. 14, no. 10, p. 1223, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.3390/biom14101223.
R. M. Gutgesell, R. Nogueiras, M. H. Tschöp, and T. D. Müller, “Dual and Triple Incretin-Based Co-agonists: Novel Therapeutics for Obesity and Diabetes,” Diabetes Ther., vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 1069–1084, May 2024, doi: 10.1007/s13300-024-01566-x
S. Khandelwal and A. Kurpad, “A Vision for Nutrition Research in Asia,” Food Nutr. Bull., vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 133–142, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.1177/0379572119851637.
H. Ma, X. Wang, X. Li, Y. Heianza, and L. Qi, “Adding Salt to Foods and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease,” J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., vol. 80, no. 23, pp. 2157–2167, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.09.039
H. Alzubaidi et al., “Designing and implementing a prediabetes screening in community pharmacies and online prevention program: findings from the PREDICT study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 26, p. 1880, 2026, doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27437-7.
H. Iida and H. Watada, “Pancreatic β-cell Dysfunction and Diabetes,” Juntendo Med. J., vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 158–165, May 2025, doi: 10.14789/ejmj.JMJ25-0001-R
R. von der Warth, A. Nau, M. Rudolph, J. Bengel, and M. Glattacker, “Illness and treatment beliefs as predictors of rehabilitation outcome in patients with mental disorders,” J. Psychosom. Res., vol. 155, p. 110750, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110750.
K. Underman, M. Kochunilathil, L. McLean, and A. H. Vinson, “Online student culture as site for negotiating assessment in medical education,” Med. Teach., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 78–84, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2022.2114777.
N. A. Petrunoff et al., “Associations of park features with park use and park-based physical activity in an urban environment in Asia: A cross-sectional study,” Health Place, vol. 75, p. 102790, May 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102790.
N. C. Vu, M. T. Tran, L. T. Dang, C. L. Chei, and Y. Saito (eds.), Ageing and Health in Viet Nam. Jakarta: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and Ha Noi: Institute of Population, Health and Development (PHAD), 2020.
Z. Jin and K. Gong, “Urban-to-Rural Migration as an Influential Factor for Vernacular Village Revitalization: A Building-Scale Assessment of Migrants’ Spatial–Lifestyle Interventions on Traditional Values in Zhejiang, China,” Buildings, vol. 15, no. 17, p. 3113, 2025, doi: 10.3390/buildings15173113.
Y. Feng, D. Li, C. Ma, X. Hu, and F. Chen, “Barley Leaf Ameliorates Citrobacter-rodentium-Induced Colitis through Arginine Enrichment,” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 8, p. 1890, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.3390/nu15081890.
P. C. Zee, S. M. Bertisch, C. M. Morin, R. Pelayo, N. F. Watson, J. W. Winkelman, and A. D. Krystal, “Long-Term Use of Insomnia Medications: An Appraisal of the Current Clinical and Scientific Evidence,” J. Clin. Med., vol. 12, no. 4, p. 1629, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/jcm12041629.
E. A. Craige, A. R. Memon, D. L. Belavy, G. E. Vincent, and P. J. Owen, “Effects of non-pharmacological interventions on sleep in chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials,” Sleep Med. Rev., vol. 68, p. 101761, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101761.
S. Pal, “Factors determining the rural-urban disparity in unmet healthcare needs among households in Eastern India,” Discov. Public Health, vol. 23, p. 358, 2026, doi: 10.1186/s12982-026-01713-8.
M. Franco, A. V. Diez Roux, and U. Bilal, “Challenges and opportunities for urban health research in our complex and unequal cities,” Cities Health, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 651–656, 2022, doi: 10.1080/23748834.2022.2143740
C. Hlavin et al., “Clinical Outcomes and Hospital Utilization Among Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery with Telemedicine Preoperative Care,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 6, no. 2, p. e2255994, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55994.
B. X. Wang, “Diagnosis and Management of Hypertensive Heart Disease: Incorporating 2023 European Society of Hypertension and 2024 European Society of Cardiology Guideline Updates,” J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis., vol. 12, no. 2, p. 46, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.3390/jcdd12020046.
M. Marre, “Importance of intensive blood pressure control in type 2 diabetes: Mechanisms, treatments and current guidelines,” Diabetes Obes. Metab., vol. 22, no. S2, pp. 33–42, Apr. 2020, doi: 10.1111/dom.13975.
J. S. Bhatti et al., “Oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and related complications: Current therapeutics strategies and future perspectives,” Free Radic. Biol. Med., vol. 184, pp. 114–134, May 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.03.019.
M. C. Lardone et al., “LIN28B expression is downregulated in mature spermatozoa of oligozoospermic men and associates with genetic variants previously linked to pubertal onset,” Endocr. Connect., vol. 14, no. 6, Jun. 2025, Art. no. e25-0044, doi: 10.1530/EC-25-0044
W. M. A. Franssen, I. Nieste, K. Verboven, and B. O. Eijnde, “Sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health: Integrating the potential underlying molecular health aspects,” Metabolism, vol. 170, p. 156320, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2025.156320.
Y. A. An et al., “Endotrophin neutralization through targeted antibody treatment protects from renal fibrosis in a podocyte ablation model,” Mol. Metab., vol. 69, p. 101680, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101680.
Y. J. Lee, J. J. Kim, J. Kim, D. W. Cho, and J. Y. Won, “The Correlation between Waist Circumference and the Pro-Inflammatory Adipokines in Diabetic Retinopathy of Type 2 Diabetes Patients,” Int. J. Mol. Sci., vol. 24, no. 3, p. 2036, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.3390/ijms24032036.
S. K. Ahmed and R. A. Mohammed, “Obesity: Prevalence, causes, consequences, management, preventive strategies and future research directions,” Metab. Open, vol. 27, p. 100375, Sep. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.metop.2025.100375.
