SUSCEPTIBILITY FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RISK FACTORS: LONGITUDINAL DATA ANALYSIS OF A COHORT OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Sumaira Masood; Naila Azam; Mehwish Riaz; Sarah Khalid Bakhsh; Mariam Razzaq; Asma Anjum; Uzma Faryal

doi:10.46903/gjms/23.3.1860

SUSCEPTIBILITY FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE RISK FACTORS: LONGITUDINAL DATA ANALYSIS OF A COHORT OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Sumaira Masood, Naila Azam, Mehwish Riaz, Sarah Khalid Bakhsh, Mariam Razzaq, Asma Anjum, Uzma Faryal

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for great mortality and morbidity contributing to 77% of deaths due to NCDs globally. The study aimed to determine the levels of risk factors of NCDs among medical students viz a viz physical activity, diet, smoking and to evaluate trends of these risk factors over two years period.

Materials & Methods: It was a longitudinal study, conducted at a private medical college in the capital city of Pakistan, from April 2022 to September 2023. The data regarding NCD risk factors was collected using WHO STEPS questionnaire from the cohort of undergraduate students at two distinct times. All students who consented to participate were included. SPSS v.25 was used for data entry and analysis.

Results: Less than 3% of 135 students met WHO’s recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, with prominent decrease being observed among boarders. There was a decrease in the mean servings of fruits (0.98 to 0.93) and vegetables (1.19 to 1.13) across study period. The self-reported smoking rate remained consistently low. An increase in physical activity, BMI and gender-specific wais hip ratio (WHR) was observed during study period.

Conclusion: Most medical students consumed fruits and vegetables less than the recommended daily requirements. Some individuals showed improvements in their physical activity levels. Abdominal obesity increased especially in females, which pose risk for metabolic complications.

Keywords

Abdominal obesity; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; Daily intake; Diabetes mellitus; Non-communicable diseases; Physical activity; Risk factors; Vegetables.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46903/gjms/23.3.1860