Due to the high incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCD), the baseline prevalence of major risk factors (RF) of CNCD is of scientific and practical interest for further effective planning of preventive measures.
OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of behavioral and biological RFs of CNCD among the residents of Altai Krai aged 18 and older.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
In 2019, a sample of males and females aged 18 years and over was formed to conduct epidemiological monitoring of RFs for CNCD using STEPS methodology; 48.2% were males (n=1.291), and 51.8% were females (n=1.347). The response rate was 74.9%. The survey was conducted using a standard questionnaire. The survey included the following parameters: height, body weight, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, excessive salt intake, inadequate physical activity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol level, hyperglycemia, and obesity.
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of smoking among the adult population was 19.3%; 34% among males, and 5.1% among females. Excessive alcohol consumption was noted in 6.7% of study participants, 5.7% of males and 5% of females. Low level of physical activity had 34.6% of those surveyed, 33.4% of males and 35.4% of females. Less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day were consumed by 86.8% of study participants (86.9% in males vs. 84.1% in females). Excessive salt intake was noted in 28% of participants, 32.3% of males and 24.0% of females. Diabetes mellitus was detected in 8.4% of those surveyed, 7.5% in males, and 9.3% in females. Obesity was detected in 24.4% of subjects, in 16.7% of males and in 31.8% of females. High blood pressure was observed in 44.1% of the examined subjects, in 40.8% of males and in 47.3% of females; high cholesterol level was noted in 15% of the subjects, in 12.4% of males and in 17.7% of females.
CONCLUSION
The survey results demonstrated a high prevalence of the major risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases among the adult population of Altai Krai. Typical features include a high prevalence of low physical activity, obesity, high blood pressure, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, and excessive salt intake. When analyzing gender differences, it was found that obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are more common risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in females, while smoking, excessive salt intake, and inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables are more common in males. The data obtained will help develop programs to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases based on the identified risk factors among the region’s population. Such epidemiological studies performed regularly will allow us to assess the effectiveness of these programs.
