Publication:

A comparative cross-sectional study on the prevalence of spousal concordance of hypertension and diabetes among the inhabitants of urban and rural field practice areas

Background The burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes and hypertension, is increasing globally, affecting nearly 1.8 billion people. In India, around 77 million individuals have diabetes, and nearly 30% of adults are hypertensive. “Couple concordance” refers to the presence of the same disease in both partners. As couples often share similar lifestyles, studying concordance helps in understanding shared risk factors. Objectives were to assess the prevalence of couple concordance for hypertension and diabetes and to identify associated factors.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 316 married couples in rural and urban field practice areas of a tertiary care centre from May to June 2025. Couples with both partners aged ≥40 years were included. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire through interviews, employing systematic random sampling. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0.

Results The prevalence of couple concordance was 10.8% for diabetes and 13% for hypertension, while 8.6% of couples had both conditions. Higher concordance was significantly associated with lower socioeconomic status and lower educational levels.

Conclusions A notable prevalence of spousal concordance for diabetes and hypertension was observed, especially among disadvantaged groups. These findings emphasize the need for couple-based preventive strategies, including lifestyle modification, health education, and early screening, to reduce the shared burden of NCDs.