A preliminary study on prevalence of certain risk factors for non-communicable diseases in a rural population of karnataka, india

Background: In India the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has overtaken that of communicable diseases. Since two-thirds of India’s population continues to live in rural areas which have limited healthcare resources, studying the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in rural areas should take precedence in order to evolve a better health-care system. Objective: To study the prevalence of certain risk factors for NCDs in a rural population. Method: A detailed survey was conducted among adults above 25 years at Alike village in Karnataka. Information on behavioural risk factors like tobacco use, alcohol intake, physical activity and family history of hypertension, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were recorded. Blood pressure was measured, BMI was calculated and categorised according to the Consensus Statement for Diagnosis of Obesity, Abdominal obesity and Metabolic Syndrome for Asian Indians. Descriptive analyses was done using SPSS version 21.0. Results: The mean ( ± SD) age of the population was 50.9 years ( ± 11.4). 678 adults were surveyed of which 35.5% had a family history of either hypertension, diabetes, IHD or stroke. Current tobacco use (smoke or smokeless) was prevalent among 34.2% and alcohol intake was 10.3%. The prevalence of inadequate physical activity was 65.8%. One hundred and thirty eight (20.4%) subjects were underweight, 103 (15.2%) were overweight and 133 (19.6%) were obese. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 41.8%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of risk factors for NCDs in this rural community. This necessitates the targeting of modifiable risk factors by improving awareness in the rural community.