Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are conditions or illnesses that are not caused by infectious agents and do not involve person-to-person transmission. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause the mortality of 41 million individuals annually, which accounts for approximately 74% of all global fatalities. This study was planned to estimate the prevalence of the risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the study population using the WHO STEPS approach and find the association between the risk factors and various socio-demographic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adults living in rural areas of district Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR, India and 400 individuals were interviewed. Risk factors were assessed using WHO STEPS approach and socio-demographic details were recorded through a semi-structured questionnaire. The prevalence of tobacco usage was found to be 21.3%. Systolic hypertension was found in 18.7%, Diastolic hypertension was found in 13.3%, Abnormal blood sugar levels were found in 11.7%. and Inadequate physical exercise was found in 41.5%. High systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly associated with abnormal blood sugar levels and all the risk factors were significantly associated with age. This study revealed that the prevalence of one or more risk factors for non-communicable diseases ranged between 11.7% to 41.5%. There is a shift in the behavioral patterns of the rural population, necessitating the need to focus on creating awareness about lifestyle modification techniques.

Key words: Blood pressure, Blood sugar, Non-communicable diseases, Physical activity, Risk factors, Rural population