Adult Women's Height and Non-Communicable Disease Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with their burden rapidly increasing in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Given the complex etiology of NCDs, which involves a range of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, there is growing interest in understanding the role that early-life conditions and biological factors, such as adult height, play in the development of these diseases. Despite growing global interest in the social and biological determinants of NCDs, few studies have examined the association between adult height and the occurrence of NCDs in SSA.

We conducted a multilevel logistic regression analysis using 2019-2022 DHS data from seven SSA countries to explore the relationship between maternal height and the occurrence of NCDs (hypertension and diabetes). Results from the multilevel analysis were presented in adjusted odds ratios with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

Approximately 7908 adult women (16.1%, 95% CI: 15.7, 16.4%) reported having non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Among these, 14.04% reported having one NCD, while 2.01% reported having both NCDs (diabetes and hypertension). After adjusting for potential confounders at both the individual and contextual levels, women with very short stature (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.26-3.37) and short stature (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.42) were more likely to have non-communicable diseases.

Nearly one-sixth of adult women in sub-Saharan Africa live with NCDs. Our findings suggest that women of shorter stature are significantly more likely to develop NCDs such as hypertension and diabetes. These results underscore the need for public health strategies that consider height, a non-modifiable but potentially indicative biological factor, as part of targeted NCD prevention approaches in high-risk populations. Future research should explore the physiological mechanisms underlying this association, particularly the roles of coronary vessel diameter and central adiposity.