relationship between positive family history and the presence of diagnosed diabetes prior to the survey. During the 1974 survey, fasting blood glucose values were obtained for 139 individuals. Of these, 19.5% had FBS values >130 mg%, and 13.7% had values >160 mg%. These 139 people included 32 individuals with previously diagnosed diabetes, some of whom exhibited normal fasting and 2-hr post-prandial blood sugars in this survey. With these 32 excluded, 7.5% of the remaining individuals showed FBS >130 mg%, and 5.6% showed >160 mg%. In the 1974 survey, 2-hr post-prandial blood sugar was measured on 277 individuals, including only The data on all 277 individuals showed 19 previously diagnosed diabetics. 19.2% with post-prandial blood sugar values >130 mg% and 8.7% with values >160 With the known diabetics excluded, these percentages were 15.5 and 5.4 me”. Of the previously diagnosed diabetics, 67.7% were female, but respectively. on the basis of post-prandial blood sugar >130 mg%, no significant difference 24 of was found between the sexes with regard to carbohydrate intolerance: 129 males and 27 of 144 females had values >130 mg%, and 10 males and 13 fe- males had values >160 mg%. This is in contrast to the findings in other similar surveys in the Pacific, which show diabetes considerably more common in fe- Relative weight had a significant although rather weak effect on males (77). Measurements using a ponderal index (wt/ht?) showed carbohydrate tolerance. the correlation between relative weight and fasting blood sugar to be r = 0.33 (p = 0.001) and that with post-prandial blood sugar to be r = 0.31 (p = 0.001). Also examined was the relationship within the female population between number of pregnancies and previous diagnosis of diabetes or carbohydrate intolerance First indicated by either the fasting or the post-prandial blood sugar value. in variables these between relationship no indicated data these of analysis the Marshall Islands population, but further study is under way. The data from previous diagnoses and from the two measures of glucose tolerance can be used to define a group of individuals with altered carbohyThis group includes all previously diagnosed diabetics and drate tolerance. all individuals with either a fasting blood glucose level >130 mg% or a 2-hr post-prandial blood glucose level >160 mg%. This group of affected persons comprises 17.3% of the population, and is composed of 65% females and 35% The age distribution of affected individuals in the Marshall Island males. The age group-specific prevalence of nopulation, by sex, is given in Table 1. carbohydrate abnormalities increases by age groups in this population, with females showing greater percentages in all groups. Affected persons comprise 13.3% of all males examined and 20.7% of all females. Table 1. Age distribution of carbohydrate abnormalities (defined in text) im the Marshall Island population (numbers in parentheses are sample sizes). Age group: Male Female 0-24 25-34 35-44 0 (57) 7.5 (53) 6.1 (33) 7.7 (52) 10.0 (20) 17.2 (29) 45-54 % Affected 29.2 (24) 37.5 (40) - 44 - 55~64 >65 27.3 (33) 45.8 (24) 28.6 (14) 33.3 (15) Total 13.3 (181) "20.7 (213)