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Global Patterns and Temporal Trends in Modifiable Risk Factors Among Women of Childbearing Age, 1990-2021: A
Qian Xu1,2, Huabin Zhang1,2, Bin Chen3
1School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
Women of childbearing age (WCBA, 15-49 years) are a key population for public health prevention, yet evidence on long-term trends in modifiable risk factors and their attributable burden remains limited. We aimed to assess global patterns and temporal changes in major modifiable risk factors among WCBA.
Methods:
Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021, we analysed summary exposure values, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to 83 modifiable risk factors across metabolic, behavioural, and environmental/occupational domains.
Results:
In 2021, 1.10 million deaths and 108.0 million DALYs among WCBA were attributable to modifiable risk factors, representing 34.83% of total deaths and 26.52% of total DALYs. The leading Level 3 risk factors for DALYs were unsafe sex (4.89%), iron deficiency (3.36%), high body mass index (BMI) (3.19%), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (2.48%). Between 1990 and 2021, environmental and occupational risk exposures generally declined over time, whereas metabolic risk exposures-particularly high BMI (EAPC 1.83%) and high FPG (EAPC 1.59%)-showed sustained increases across most regions. Risk profiles varied across sociodemographic index (SDI) levels, with reproductive and nutritional risks predominating in lower-SDI settings and metabolic or behavioural risks more prominent in higher-SDI settings.
Conclusion:
Modifiable risk factors account for a substantial proportion of disease burden among WCBA. The coexistence of rising metabolic risks and persistent reproductive and nutritional challenges calls for targeted strategies-strengthening reproductive health and nutrition programmes in lower-SDI settings, and prioritising obesity prevention and metabolic screening in higher-SDI regions.
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