Noncommunicable disease risk factors and cardiovascular risk among adults in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are rising in developing countries, posing substantial health, social, and economic consequences. Targeted action to address NCDs is difficult without data on the prevalence and social distribution of the risk factors.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among randomly sampled adults in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. Sociodemographic, lifestyle risk factors, knowledge, and anthropometric measurements were collected. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors for NCD risk factors and cardiovascular risk.

This study involved 417 participants, with a mean age of 35.6 ± 12.6 years, in which 54.7% were females. The prevalence of inadequate fruit/vegetable intake was 95.7%, alcohol consumption 53.0%, physical inactivity 37.9%, tobacco use 1.9%, khat use 5.1%, hypertension 20.7%, overweight/obesity 29.6%, and abdominal obesity 67.4%. Overall, 55% of adults have clusters of three or more risk factors, and 14.6% have a moderate (10%-20%) 10-year cardiovascular risk. Factors associated with NCD risk factors are sex, age, religion, marital status, occupation, and income. Ten-year cardiovascular risk is higher in men (adjusted odd ratio (OR) 4.2, 95% CI 1.5-11.4), in adults with abdominal obesity (adjusted OR 5.8, 95% CI 1.4-24.2), and in those with clustered risk factors (adjusted OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.6-10.3).

This study shows that adults in Northwest Ethiopia are at high risk of developing NCDs. Coordinated, multisectoral interventions at all levels of the socio-ecological model are needed to reduce the risk factors.