The data that we will examine was originally collected by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). It consists of 532 observations and eight input features along with a binary outcome (Yes/No). The patients in this study were of Pima Indian descent from South Central Arizona. The NIDDK data shows that for the last 30 years, research has helped scientists to prove that obesity is a major risk factor in the development of diabetes. The Pima Indians were selected for the study as one-half of the adult Pima Indians have diabetes and 95 per cent of those with diabetes are overweight. The analysis will focus on adult women only. Diabetes was diagnosed according to the WHO criteria and was of the type of diabetes that is known as type 2. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas is still able to function and produce insulin and it used to be referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
Our task is to examine and predict those individuals that have diabetes or the risk factors that could lead to diabetes in this population. Diabetes has become an epidemic in the USA, given the relatively sedentary lifestyle and high-caloric diet. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the disease was the seventh leading cause of death in the USA in 2010, despite being underdiagnosed. Diabetes is also associated with a dramatic increase in comorbidities, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, eye diseases, and kidney diseases. The costs of diabetes and its complications are enormous. The ADA estimates that the total cost of the disease in 2012 was approximately $490 billion. For further background information on the problem, refer to ADA's website at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/.