relation of type 2 diabetes mellitus with gender, education, and marital status in an iranian urban population

background: type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. objectives: this study was performed to assess the relationship of diabetes with gender, education, and marital status in an iranian urban population. methods: a total of 892 men and women aged 30-85 were recruited using a cluster-stratified sampling method from an urban population. using a questionnaire, demographical data including gender, education, and marital status were collected. a blood sample after fasting for at least eight hours was collected from each subject. associations of type 2 diabetes mellitus and studied variables were tested for significance. results: the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 11.6%; 11.1% in men and 12.1% in women with no significant difference between them. diabetes mellitus was most prevalent in the oldest age (age more than 60 years, 22.9%) and low education groups (17.9%, p < 0.001). marital status was not significantly related to diabetes mellitus (p= 0.37). conclusion: the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is related to education within the iranian population. thus preventive strategies should be based on the affective factors.