Modifiable Risk Factors For Non-communicable Diseases Research Articles

Prevalence and determinants of behavioral risk factors for noncommunicable diseases among students aged 13–19 years in Turkey

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of behavioral risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among students aged 13–19 years in Turkey. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included a total of 1218 high-school students (mean age = 15.97 years; 57.6 % females) in Turkey. A facilitated survey in the form of a questionnaire was used to gather data. Questions from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey were adapted for the study, and the responses were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 28. Binary logistic regression and Poisson regression were applied to identify the contributing factors. ResultsThe prevalence of inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption was 85.5 %, sedentary leisure behavior 80.9 %, physical inactivity 65.3 %, carbonated soft drink consumption 60.4 %, overweight or obesity 38.1 %, current tobacco use 23.1 %, and current alcohol use 14.5 %. The adjusted Poisson regression analysis showed that the odds for having behavioral risk factors were increased by being male, being in grade 11, and attending physical education classes, whereas the odds were reduced by having multiple psychological distress issues, regularly attending school, and having moderate or high parental support. ConclusionThe prevalence of clustering of modifiable risk factors for NCDs was high among students aged 13–19 years in Turkey, and there is a need to mount effective interventions. Risk factors for these diseases are often preventable: Appropriate health interventions before, during, and after pregnancy as well as throughout childhood and adolescence can significantly reduce their prevalence.

Economic priorities over population health: A political dilemma in addressing noncommunicable diseases in developing countries.

The world is observing a rapid shift in the burden of diseases with predominance of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs contribute to 41 million deaths which is equivalent to 74% of all death globally per year. There is ongoing debate on the approaches to reduce public exposure to NCDs' modifiable risk factors which are of economic potential. As the World Health Organizationand the World Bank recommend the implementation of taxation to these factors, still questions arise on the effectiveness, sustainability, and practicality of this strategy. With the ongoing transition globally from consumption of natural to processed foods, it is important to counter-check the best interventions on how to protect people from unhealthy eating behaviors. While taxation on unhealthy food and other products like tobacco has been recommended as one among interventional approaches, its effectiveness on sugar sweetened beverages is not reliable compared to approaches that increase self-control. Despite the perceived economic benefits of tobacco and sugar sweetened products, there is detrimental implication in terms of public health. The introduction of taxation which favors public health faces challenges due to conflict of interest from government authorities and other stakeholders. The intertwined relationship between public health and economic development becomes more obvious during implementation of preventive and control measures against modifiable risk factors for NCDs. It is evident that reaching a balanced rational decision on choosing between economic growth and public health is difficult. Countries should enhance both local and international intersectoral and multisectoral approaches in creating integrative policies which include health component in all non-health policies including economic policies so as to harmonize public health and economic growth during this era of extensive globalization.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Physical Activity Patterns and Dietary Habits of a Nursing College Students in Central Karnataka

Introduction: Nutritional habits and physical activity influence the health status of young adults. Noncommunicablediseases (NCDs) such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the major humanhealth problems of 21st century. NCD risk factors like sedentary lifestyle, increased consumption of diet richin sugar, fats and salt, tobacco and alcohol consumption are increasingly found among youth. Having properdietary habits (nutritional behaviour) and moderate physical exercise are the best methods for reducingCVD risk.Objectives: To assess patterns of physical activity and dietary habits followed by students studying at a nursingcollege in Chitradurga.Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study. Assessments, by questionnaire, included daily food intake, frequencyof consuming foodstuffs with an adequate nutritional value and evaluating adverse dietary habits and types ofphysical activity undertaken.Results: 175 students participated in the study. Physical activities of moderate and vigorous intensity werefollowed by 65.7% and 65.1% students respectively. Foods with good nutritional value were consumed in lesserquantities. 14.9% consumed < 1 vegetable serving/day, 38.3% consumed < 1 fruit serving / week. There werestudents who did not consume vegetables (8%) or fruits (14.9%) at all. Higher frequencies (2-6 days/week) ofconsumption of junk food (12.6%) and soft drinks (10.3%) were found.Conclusion: It is an encouraging fact to know that students were involved in moderate or vigorous physicalactivities on regular basis. Whereas healthy dietary practice was less and consumption of junk food and softdrinks was more. Present study highlights areas of nutritional concerns that must be addressed to bringabout reduction in proportion of modifiable risk factors of NCDs among youth in health care professionalcourses.

Vitalizing Community for Health Promotion Against Modifiable Risk Factors of Noncommunicable Diseases (V-CaN) in Rural Central India: Protocol for a Hybrid Type II Implementation Effectiveness Trial.

Low- and middle-income countries are facing the emerging burden of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Apart from loss of human lives and premature deaths, NCDs result in huge costs for treatment to individuals and the health system. Although NCDs develop in later life, the risk factors begin at an early age. The key to the control of the global epidemic of NCDs is primary prevention based on comprehensive community-based programs. This study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate the effect of a participatory health promotion initiative utilizing the existing mechanisms of Village Health Nutrition and Sanitation Committees (VHNSCs), women's self-help groups (SHGs), and schools on modifiable risk factors for NCDs among young people aged 10-30 years. The proposed type II hybrid effectiveness implementation cluster randomized field trial will be conducted in the catchment area of 4 primary health centers (PHCs) in Wardha district, India, comprising 100 villages with a population of 144,000. Each PHC will be randomly allocated to one of the 3 intervention arms or the control arm. The 3-intervention arm PHCs will utilize a unique strategy with either VHNSC or SHG members or school students as change agents for health action against common modifiable NCD risk factors. This study will be implemented in 3 phases from January 2022 to December 2024. First, the preparatory phase for baseline assessments includes anthropometry, behavioral and biochemical risk factors for NCDs, and participatory development of the health promotion intervention modules. Second, the implementation phase will focus on capacity building of the change agents and implementation of the participatory health promotion initiative. The implementation will include organization of community-based events, 6-monthly participatory assessment of change, and preparation of a sustainability and exit plan toward the end of this phase. Third, the evaluation phase will consist of studying the effectiveness of each intervention strategy in the reduction of risk factor prevalence at the population level. We will assess 12,000 (3000 in each arm) randomly selected individuals for behavioral risk factors and 1600 (400 in each arm) individuals for biochemical risk factors during baseline as well as endline assessments. Difference in differences, ANOVA or multivariate analysis of covariance, and regression analysis will be performed to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and stories of change will be documented and analyzed using thematic framework analysis. The implementation outcomes will be reported using the PRISM (Practical Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model) RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. The results are expected to be published by mid-2025. This study will show the magnitude of risk factors for NCDs, its determinants, feasibility, effectiveness of community-based interventions, and health promotion models for NCD prevention. Clinical Trials Registration India CTRI/2020/10/028700; https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/showallp.php?mid1=47597&EncHid=&userName=V-CaN. DERR1-10.2196/42450.

Tackling noncommunicable diseases in Africa through football: The case of Malawi

AbstractThere is evidence that physical inactivity and dietary factors are more common among modifiable risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) which are on the rise in Malawi. Football has been shown to have a wide range of health‐related benefits in health education programs, including the promotion of physical activity as a potential intervention in addressing NCDs. In Malawi, few football‐based health promotion programs have been implemented to address NCDs. Among the programs implemented were the Federation Internationale de Football Association 11 for Health initiative which was a school‐based health education program for the youth and the Malawi Ministry of Health's SPORTS FOR HEALTH initiative targeting civil servants. These programs produced significant improvement in physical activity in the participants and also increased their knowledge of both communicable and NCDs. However, these initiatives were not rolled out to many sites across Malawi. As Malawi is tackling rising cases of NCDs, football can be used as a powerful tool in promoting physical activity and it also provides an important platform for the delivery of NCDs’ health promotion messages to a wider audience. Such football‐based initiatives must be designed to directly address modifiable risk factors of NCDs. For successful implementation, there must be a good collaboration among the Ministries of Health and Sports, local football leagues, and other stakeholders.

Built Environments And Child Health in WalEs and AuStralia (BEACHES): a study protocol

IntroductionChildhood obesity and physical inactivity are two of the most significant modifiable risk factors for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Yet, a third of children in Wales and Australia...

"Planeterranea": An attempt to broaden the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet worldwide.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) lead to a dramatic burden on morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diet is a modifiable risk factor for NCDs, with Mediterranean Diet (MD) being one of the most effective dietary strategies to reduce diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Nevertheless, MD transferability to non-Mediterranean is challenging and requires a shared path between the scientific community and stakeholders. Therefore, the UNESCO Chair on Health Education and Sustainable Development is fostering a research project—“Planeterranea”—aiming to identify a healthy dietary pattern based on food products available in the different areas of the world with the nutritional properties of MD. This review aimed to collect information about eating habits and native crops in 5 macro-areas (North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Australia). The information was used to develop specific “nutritional pyramids” based on the foods available in the macro-areas presenting the same nutritional properties and health benefits of MD.

Intersectoral collaboration in the management of non-communicable disease’s risk factors in Iran: stakeholders and social network analysis

IntroductionAs the major cause of premature death worldwide, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are complex and multidimensional, prevention and control of which need global, national, local, and multisectoral collaboration. Governmental stakeholder analysis and social network analysis (SNA) are among the recognized techniques to understand and improve collaboration. Through stakeholder analysis, social network analysis, and identifying the leverage points, we investigated the intersectoral collaboration (ISC) in preventing and controlling NCDs-related risk factors in Iran.MethodsThis is a mixed-methods study based on semi-structured interviews and reviewing of the legal documents and acts to identify and assess the interest, position, and power of collective decision-making centers on NCDs, followed by the social network analysis of related councils and the risk factors of NCDs. We used Gephi software version 0.9.2 to facilitate SNA. We determined the supreme councils' interest, position, power, and influence on NCDs and related risk factors. The Intervention Level Framework (ILF) and expert opinion were utilized to identify interventions to enhance inter-sectoral collaboration.ResultsWe identified 113 national collective decision-making centers. Five councils had the highest evaluation score for the four criteria (Interest, Position, Power, and Influence), including the Supreme Council for Health and Food Security (SCHFS), Supreme Council for Standards (SCS), Supreme Council for Environmental Protection (SCIP), Supreme Council for Health Insurance (SCHI) and Supreme Council of the Centers of Excellence for Medical Sciences. We calculated degree, in degree, out-degree, weighted out-degree, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and Eigenvector centrality for all councils. Supreme Council for Standards and SCHFS have the highest betweenness centrality, showing Node's higher importance in information flow. Interventions to facilitate inter-sectoral collaboration were identified and reported based on Intervention Level Framework's five levels (ILF).ConclusionA variety of stakeholders influences the risk factors of non-communicable diseases. Through an investigation of stakeholders and their social networks, we determined the primary actors for each risk factor. Through the different (levels and types) of interventions identified in this study, the MoHME can leverage the ability of identified stakeholders to improve risk factors management. The proposed interventions for identified stakeholders could facilitate intersectoral collaboration, which is critical for more effective prevention and control of modifiable risk factors for NCDs in Iran. Supreme councils and their members could serve as key hubs for implementing targeted inter-sectoral approaches to address NCDs' risk factors.

Exercise Intervention Changes the Perceptions and Knowledge of Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors among Women from a Low-Resourced Setting.

We employed the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical lens to explore the influence of an exercise intervention on the perceptions and knowledge of modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among women from a low-resource setting in South Africa. We used a mixed-methods design, gathering qualitative and quantitative data at baseline (n = 95) and again after 12 weeks (n = 55) and 24 weeks (n = 44) of an exercise intervention. Qualitative data consisted of focus group discussions exploring the knowledge and perceptions of modifiable risk factors for NCDs at the three time points. We collected quantitative measurements of modifiable risk factors for NCDs (waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, blood pressure, peripheral blood glucose, and cholesterol) as well as objective physical activity (PA) data over seven consecutive days. Surveys on coronary heart disease and PA knowledge were conducted at all three time points. Qualitative findings indicated that health exposures and cultural traditions influenced the participant’s perceptions about PA and NCDs. Waist circumference significantly decreased at 12 weeks compared to baseline MD = 4.16, p < 0.001. There was significant improvement at 12 weeks, compared to baseline, MD = 0.59, p = 0.009 for PA knowledge, and MD = 0.68, p = 0.003 for heart disease knowledge. There were reductions from baseline to 24 weeks in diastolic blood pressure (MD = 4.97, p = 0.045), waist circumference (MD = 2.85, p = 0.023) and BMI (MD = 0.82, p = 0.004). Significant heart disease knowledge improvements were found at 24 weeks compared to baseline (MD = 0.75, p < 0.001). Supervised exercise positively influenced Black African females′ health behaviours by understanding cultural perceptions of modifiable risk factors for NCDs.

Exposure to and Burden of Major Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors in Brazil and its States, 1990-2019: The Global Burden of Disease Study.

INTRODUCTION: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have become the main cause of disease burden in Brazil. Our objective was to describe trends (1990 to 2019) in prevalence and attributable burden of five modifiable risk factors and related metabolic risk factors in Brazil and its states. METHODS: In Global Burden of Disease 2019 analyses, we described trends in prevalence of modifiable risk factors and their metabolic mediators as percentage change in Summary Exposure Value (SEV). We estimated deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to the risk factors. RESULTS: Age-adjusted exposures to alcohol [41.0%, Uncertainty Interval (UI): 24.2 - 63.4], red meat (61.2%, UI: 42.4-92.3), low physical activity (3.9%, UI: -5-17.5) and ambient particulate matter pollution (3.3%, UI: -48.9-128.0) have worsened. Those for smoking (-51.4%, UI: -54.7- - 47.8), diet low in fruits (-28.1%, UI: -39.1- -18.7) and vegetables (-19.6%, UI: -32.7 - -8.7), and household air pollution (-85.3%, UI: -92.9- -74.3) have improved. All mediating metabolic risk factors, except high blood pressure (0.7%, UI: -6.9-8.3), have worsened: BMI (110.2%, UI: 78.6-161.7), hyperglycemia (15.1%, UI: 9.3-21.2), kidney dysfunction (12.0%, UI: 8.4-17.2), and high LDL-c (11.8%, UI: 6.9-17.2). CONCLUSIONS: A variable pattern of progress and failure in controlling modifiable risk factors has been accompanied by major worsening in most metabolic risk factors. The mixed success in public health measures to control modifiable risk factors for NCDs, when gauged by the related trends in metabolic risk factors, alert to the need for stronger actions to control NCDs in the future.

Profile and Outcome of Medical Emergencies in a Teaching Hospital in the Commercial City of Aba, Southeast Nigeria

Medical conditions present at the Accident and Emergency (A&amp;E) or Emergency Department (ED) very often. Outcome of medical emergencies depends, among other factors, on the age of patients, gender, socioeconomic factors, medical conditions, their severity, time of patients' presentations, quality of care/treatment given and the available resources (manpower and facilities) in the A&amp;E. There is a paucity of published literature on medical emergencies outcome in Aba, Southeast Nigeria. This study, therefore, set out to bridge this gap in knowledge. This was a 1-year observational study in which patients presenting to the A&amp;E/ED of ABSUTH, Aba for treatment of a medical condition were consecutively recruited and followed up until discharged home, admitted to the medical wards or died in A&amp;E. This study lasted from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Relevant data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. A total of 589 patients presented at A&amp;E because of medical conditions/emergencies, made up of 269 (45.7%) males and 320 (54.3%) females. The commonest medical emergencies were DM related complications, acute malaria, HIV/AIDS, heart failure and stroke. Study subjects discharged home were 17.5%, 71.1% were admitted into the medical wards and 11.4% died. Medical emergencies, caused predominantly by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), contributed significantly to the A&amp;E cases in the city of Aba, Nigeria and are associated with considerable mortality. It is recommended that efforts should be made to control the modifiable risk factors of NCDs while early detection and treatment of communicable and NCDs should be affected.

Profile of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases in major cities of Afghanistan: WHO STEPwise approach.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major public health problem worldwide. Despite improvement in the health situation, Afghanistan's health indicators are the worst in the Region. About 37% of Afghan adults die due to NCDs. We aimed to estimate the proportion of major risk factors for NCDs in Afghanistan. We analysed the dataset of studies conducted in 5 provinces, Kabul, Balkh, Hirat, Nangarhar and Kandahar, during 2013-2015, using the WHO STEPwise approach to NCD surveillance. This involved multistage cluster sampling from urban citizens aged 25-70 years. EpiInfo, version 7, and SPSS, version 20, were used for data management. In total, 5897 records were included in the analysis; 54% were females. Mean age was 39.56 (standard deviation12.29) years; illiteracy rate was 61.5% and 83.2% were married. Smoking and snuff use was 8% and 11.1% respectively. On average the subjects were consuming fruits 2.76 and vegetable 3.85 days per week. Overweight, general and abdominal obesity was 19%, 33.7% and 57.1% respectively. Typically, 32.4% had high blood pressure and 12.5% had high blood sugar. The modifiable risk factors of NCDs were prevalent in the major cities of the country. Their identification is vital in attempting to focus on prevalence of NCDs in urban cities. Tailored interventions are needed to focus on NCDs in Afghanistan.

Relationship of socio-economic inequality and overweight with non-communicable diseases risk factors: A study on underprivileged population.

Background:Out of every five deaths in India three are due to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Two major modifiable risk factors for NCDs are overweight and socioeconomic inequality. This study assesses the burden of various NCDs risk factors and their relationship with socioeconomic inequality and overweight among the underprivileged population.Aim:To compare the different Non-Communicable Diseases risk factors with socioeconomic inequality and overweight. To evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic inequality and body weight with NCDs.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study incorporating 241 random sample of participants was assessed using WHO Stepwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance. Anthropometric measurements and biochemical analysis of 12 h of fasting venous blood samples were done. Data were analyzed using Stata version 16 and Graph Pad Prism 8, using two-sided significance tests at the 5% significance level.Results:The study finds a 10-fold higher risk of tobacco use ( AOR = 10.18, C.I = 2.79 − 37.10) and 5 times higher risk of alcohol use AOR = 5.57, C.I = 1.25 − 24.65) among people with poor SES compared to higher SES. A significant correlation was observed between BMI, LDL cholesterol ( r = −16.0; P = 0.009) and HDL cholesterol (r = 18.0;P = 0.006) with socioeconomic status. The study finds that for individuals who were overweight the odds of systolic blood pressure (AOR = 2.11, C.I = 1.03−4.31), fasting blood sugar (AOR = 3.84, C.I = 1.30 −11.32), triglyceride level, (AOR = 2.20, C.I = 1.18 − 4.09) high-density lipoprotein ( AOR = 2.63, C.I = 1.26 − 5.46) were significantly higher compared to normal BMI individuals.Conclusion:The study showed that the socioeconomic patterning of the population is significantly associated with NCD risk factors. Obesity was closely linked with several major NCD risk factors.

Modifiable risk factors of noncommunicable diseases in urban adolescents of Girdhar Nagar, Ahmedabad: A cross-sectional study

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major health burden globally. The four main NCDs (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancers and chronic respiratory diseases) share four modifiable risk factors: Tobacco use, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet. To minimize the burden of NCD epidemic, main risk behaviors common among young people must be curbed. Measurement of NCD risk factors is necessary to plan out the interventions and would also serve as a stepping stone in achieving primordial prevention of NCDs. Objective: The objective of the study was to measure the modifiable risk factors of NCDs among school-going adolescents of urban Ahmedabad. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to January 2017 among two schools of Girdhar Nagar ward, Ahmedabad. 581 adolescents of a private and a government-run school, studying in class 8th–10th, of ages 12–16 were interviewed using GSBHS tool after taking informed consent. Appropriate anthropometric and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken. Statistical analysis: Epi info ver. 7.0 and MS Excel 2007 used for analysis. Chi-square test, t-test, and multiple regression were applied. P < 5% was considered significant. Results: 52% (303) of the subject studied were boys and 48% (278) were girls. Among all, 66% (384) were physically inactive, 88% (511) were not consuming ≥5 servings of fruits and vegetables/day, 65% (376) and 78% (452) regularly consumed soft-drinks and fast food, respectively. 1.5% (9) of the subjects smoked and 3%(15) consumed smokeless form of tobacco. No student admitted consuming alcohol. 11% (65) were overweight and 13% (73) were obese. Raised systolic BP (>140 mmHg) was found in 3% (18) and raised diastolic BP (>90 mmHg) was found in 0.5% (3) of study subjects. Conclusion: One or more risk factors were found to be prevalent in all subjects. The presence of one or more modifiable risk factors in every adolescent point toward the dire need of school-based interventions for the prevention of NCDs in future adults.

Effect of Participatory Health Promotion Initiative on Tobacco Use among Adolescents: A School-Based Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study from Central India

Introduction: Prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing rapidly in developing countries like India. The commonly attributable modifiable risk factors of NCDs include raised blood pressure (13%), tobacco use (9%), physical inactivity (6%), and obesity (5%). This quasi-experimental study with a pre-post design was conducted with an objective to assess the effect of Participatory Health Promotion initiative (PHPI) on tobacco use among adolescents. PHPI included distribution of personalized health card, tobacco-tar experiment demonstration, use of body mapping technique to emphasize hazards of tobacco on different body organs, and sensitization in small groups. Methods: Baseline tobacco use and health risk assessment were conducted by adapting WHO ASSIST tool among 200 students who were randomly selected from a secondary high school. All students in the school were then exposed to the PHPI. The postmeasurement was done among another 200 randomly selected students after 3 months. Results: The number of current tobacco users reduced from 29 (14.5%) in the baseline to 9 (4.5%) in the postmeasurement with a P

Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases among adult population in district Amritsar of Punjab

Background: The burden of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising rapidly all over the world. World Health Organization recommends surveillance of risk factors in different countries so that appropriate intervention is implemented to cut down the morbidity and mortality from NCDs. Hence, the presented study was planned with the objective of assessing the prevalence of common modifiable risk factors for NCDs in district Amritsar of Punjab.Methods: The study was conducted in Urban Health Training Centre of Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar. Sample size of 400 was calculated by adopting WHO Stepwise approach to surveillance guidelines. Behavioural risk factors, physical measurements and biochemical measurements were studied. Data was collected, compiled and analyzed by using SPSS 19.0 for windows evaluation version. Results: Majority of study subjects (98.75%) were taking inadequate vegetable and fruit servings irrespective of their age, gender, place of residence and educational status. The prevalence of physical exercise was also very low with only 86 (21.5%) of study subjects doing minimum recommended physical exercise. Among men, 27% of them were drinking alcohol, but among women, there was only one. Prevalence of smoking was very low (1.5%). Nearly one third (30.7%) of study subjects were overweight, 13.3% were obese, 35.3% were hyperglycemic and 36.7% were hypertensive. The prevalence of all these risk factors was found to be higher in higher age group.Conclusions: Low physical activity coupled with poor fruits and vegetables intake and alcohol consumption along with high prevalence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension is worrisome and needs to be addressed effectively.

Awareness of risk factors, warning signs, and immediate management measures of noncommunicable diseases: A multihospital-based study

Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than one-third of outpatient visits and inpatient admissions and more than half of the proportional mortality rate from all causes of death in India. The burden of modifiable risk factors of NCDs in India is increasing significantly over the past five decades. Therefore, the reason behind this and the preparedness of people to deal with it need to be ascertained. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of people regarding risk factors, warning signs, and immediate management practices in specific NCDs. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among people in a government and private tertiary care hospital of Mangalore city in February 2016. Data were collected by interviewing each participant using a pretested validated structured interview schedule. Results: All the 400 enrolled participants had heard about heart attack, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. However, only 250 (62.5%) had heard about stroke. Good awareness about heart attack was present among 62.5%, stroke among 57.6%, hypertension among 59%, and diabetes mellitus among 55.8% of participants. Multivariate analysis using ordinal logistic regression analysis found that good educational status and being vegetarian were significant predictors of good awareness level about heart attack. Similarly, these factors along with urban residential status were significant predictors of good awareness level about stroke. Age above 55 years was a significant predictor of good awareness level about diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: The various sociodemographic groups identified to have poor knowledge about NCDs in this study require targeted intervention during health educational campaigns.

Clustering of behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among rural-based adolescents in south-west Nigeria.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become the leading cause of deaths globally and the key associated risk factors - alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking and poor dietary patterns - are often initiated in adolescence. Co-existence of these risk factors further increase the risk for NCDs. Yet, very little is known about the pattern of co-occurrence of behavioural risk factors for NCDs among Nigerian adolescents, especially those in rural areas. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of clustering patterns of behavioural risk factors for NCDs among in-school adolescents in rural areas of Osun State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involved 476 adolescents recruited through multi-stage sampling across Osun State. Data were collected through a facilitated self-administered questionnaire with questions adapted from the Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) instrument. Data were analysed using Stata, with binary logistic regression used to identify determinants. The mean age of the respondents was 14.7±2.0 years and females constituted 50.2% of them. Among the respondents, 36.1% had reported consuming alcoholic drinks but no one met the criteria for harmful alcohol use, while 8.8% had ever smoked cigarettes and only one respondent (0.2%) was a current smoker. The prevalence of poor diet (89.5%) and physical inactivity (85.9%) was, however, high. Poor diet and physical inactivity co-occurred in 369 (77.5%) respondents, while one respondent (0.2%) had three risk factors (poor diet, physical inactivity and current smoking). Being in a senior secondary school class (odds ratio, OR=1.6; 95% confidence interval, C.I.=1.04-2.39) and living with parents (OR=0.53; 0.33-0.90) were significantly associated with clustering of NCD behavioural risk factors. The prevalence of clustering of modifiable risk factors for NCDs was high among rural-based in-school adolescents in south-west Nigeria, and there is a need to mount effective interventions. Findings from this study have the potential to inform effective school-based NCD control programmes.

Screening for noncommunicable disease risk factors at a workplace in India: A physiotherapy initiative in a healthcare setting

Abstract Background Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for two-thirds of all deaths globally. Physiotherapists have the requisite expertise to initiate and lead NCD risk factor screening and prevention programmes. The workplace can provide an ideal setting for physiotherapists to screen for risk factors and implement prevention programmes. Objective This study was designed to identify the common modifiable risk factors for NCD among employees of a healthcare institution. Methods A cross-sectional study of NCD risk factors was conducted in a large healthcare teaching institution. Employees from four of the seven constituent institutes of the healthcare institution were evaluated using the World Health Organisation STEPS Instrument (Steps I and II). Continuous variables were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Categorical variables and the prevalence of risk factors were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Results A total of 247 employees (response rate 68.2%) participated in the study. Poor dietary habits, suboptimal blood pressure, and physical inactivity were identified as the most common modifiable NCD risk factors in this population. Conclusion Knowledge of NCD risk factors can be used by physiotherapists to implement health promotion programmes in the workplace as a means of reducing NCD-related economic and social burdens in India.

National Institutes of Health funding for behavioral interventions to prevent chronic diseases.

Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause the majority of premature deaths, disability, and healthcare expenditures in the U.S. Six largely modifiable risk behaviors and factors (tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and poor mental health) account for more than 50% of premature mortality and considerably more morbidity and disability. The IOM proposed that population burden of disease and preventability should be major determinants of the amount of research funding provided by the U.S. NIH. Data on NIH prevention funding between fiscal years 2010 and 2012 for human behavioral interventions that target the modifiable risk factors of NCDs were analyzed during 2013-2014. The NIH prevention portfolio comprises approximately 37% human behavioral studies and 63% basic biomedical, genetic, and animal studies. Approximately 65% of studies were secondary prevention versus 23% for primary prevention, and 71% of studies intervened at the individual and family levels. Diet and exercise were the most-studied risk factors (41%), and few studies conducted economic analyses (12%). NIH spends an estimated $2.2-$2.6 billion annually (7%-9% of the total of $30 billion) on human behavioral interventions to prevent NCDs. Although NIH prevention funding broadly aligns with the current burden of disease, overall funding remains low compared to funding for treatment, which suggests funding misalignment with the preventability of chronic diseases.