MEDICA (International Medical Scientific Journal)
Vol. 8 No. 6 (2026): MEDICA (International Medical Scientific Journal)

Selected Risky Food Consumption and Diabetes Mellitus Among Adults in West Sumatra

Aini Yusra (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Yosi Suryarinilsih (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Nova Yanti (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Titin Sumarni (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Wella Meitri (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Sri Dewi (Department of Nursing, Poltekkes Kemenkes Padang, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia)
Debby Ratno Kustanto (Department of Public Health, Faculty of Nursing and Public Health, Universitas Prima Nusantara Bukittinggi, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

Dietary patterns may contribute to diabetes burden, but evidence from Indonesian provincial populations remains limited. This study assessed associations between selected processed/instant food and beverage indicators and doctor-diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) in West Sumatera. We analysed 31,921 survey respondents from West Sumatera using complex-sample weights. DM was defined as self-reported doctor diagnosis. Exposures were ever vs never consumption of salty foods, grilled foods, preserved meat/fish with additives, carbonated soft drinks, and instant noodles. Multivariable survey logistic regression produced adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The weighted prevalence of diagnosed DM was 1.4% (≈71,486 of 5,272,303). In adjusted models, respondents reporting ever consumption of preserved meat/fish (AOR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.47–0.89), carbonated soft drinks (AOR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.28–0.52), and instant noodles (AOR = 0.56; 95% CI: 0.40–0.78) had lower odds of doctor-diagnosed diabetes mellitus than those reporting never consumption. Salty foods (AOR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.64–1.46) and grilled foods (AOR = 1.27; 95% CI: 0.88–1.82) were not significantly associated. These inverse associations should be interpreted cautiously because they are likely to reflect reverse causality, post-diagnosis dietary modification, and residual confounding rather than protective effects of these foods. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed diabetes mellitus in West Sumatra was low. Although several processed-food indicators showed inverse associations with diagnosed diabetes mellitus, these findings should not be interpreted as evidence of protective effects. Instead, they are more likely explained by reverse causality, behavioral modification following diagnosis, underdiagnosis, and residual confounding. Prospective longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify the causal relationship between dietary behaviors and diabetes risk.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

medica

Publisher

Subject

Chemistry Dentistry Health Professions Immunology & microbiology Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health Veterinary

Description

MEDICA (International Medical Scientific Journal), with registered number ISSN 2622-6596 (Print), 2622-660X (Online) is an Open Access and peer-reviewed journal presenting timely research on all aspects of health that other media have not published. Managed by the Borneo Scientific Publishing, ...