Publication:

Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Aligarh: a community based study

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are now recognized as major cause of morbidity and mortality. All countries, irrespective of their stage of economic development or demographic and epidemiological transition, face an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases.

Methods This is a community based cross sectional study conducted at field practice areas of the urban and rural health training centers, Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. 640 study subject’s age group 18-65 years. Systematic random sampling and proportionate to population size method (PPS). SPSS version 13 and Chi-square was used to analyse the data.

Results The age group for the present study was chosen to be 18-65 years of age. The study population consisted of 340 females and 300 males. 27.1% belong to younger age group (18-25 years), whereas in urban areas majority (27.3%) belongs to 26-35 years age group. Also, the study group comprised of higher percentage of females (53%) compared to males (47%).129 (20.2%) subjects were found to be current smokers. Only 4 (1.3%) women were smokers. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use which was found to be 21.6% (28.3% in males and 15.6% in females). The prevalence of current alcohol use in our study to be 10.3% in males and 0.6% in females. The overall prevalence of alcohol use was 5.2%. Alcohol use showed inverse relation with socioeconomic class, About 87% of the respondents did not have sufficient intake of fruits and vegetables. The physical inactivity during work was more in males (30.7%) compared to females (15.5%. Mean body weight, BMI and waist circumference showed significant changes with age in both sexes.

Conclusions It can be concluded from our study that the burden of risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the rural and urban areas of Aligarh is quite high.