Objective: to identify the risk of developing diabetes mellitus among primary care users in a municipality of the Southern Brazil.
Method: data were collected from October 2013 to April 2014 by applying the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score questionnaire on 189 users.
Results: the majority of the interviewees presented a slight moderate to moderate risk of developing diabetes mellitus (63.5%). There was a greater prevalence of high risk among the men. The variables with a significant prevalence ratio for high risk were age, obesity, abdominal circumference, sedentarism and family history of diabetes mellitus.
Conclusion: the identified risk factors for diabetes reveal the importance of the health team and how it can intervene to prevent disease.