Prevalence of non-communicable disease (ncd) in geriatrics population of kalaburagi district: a cross-sectional study in rural field practice area.

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Dr Aditya Telkar ,Dr S R Nigudgi ,Dr Ravikumar Kurle

Abstract

Context/Background:


According to a United Nations report, the worldwide total population of geriatrics was 703 million (9%) in 2019. In India, the geriatric population is expected to increase to 198 million by 2030. As people age, they are more prone to both communicable and non-communicable diseases. In 2014, the prevalence of morbidity increased from 30% to 37% among elderly population. However, most of the available studies in India on morbidity are disease-specific and do not provide a comprehensive knowledge on non-communicable diseases as a whole.


Aims/Objectives:



  1. To estimate the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) in the elderly.

  2. To assess the risk factors associated with non-communicable disease.


Methodology:


A study was conducted among elderly people living in rural areas of Kalaburagi district, Karnataka. The study included participants aged 60 years and above, and a sample size of 193 was determined.
The researchers used a pre-designed, pre-tested, and semi-structured questionnaire to collect information about the participants' morbidity status and risk factors. The collected data was recorded in Microsoft Excel Sheets 2013 and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 to calculate frequencies and percentages.
Before collecting data, the participants were given informed written consent in their local language, Kannada.


Results:


Hypertension is the most prevalent morbidity NCD in the Rural elderly population of 41.45% of Kalaburagi CHC Hebbal. They were then followed by diabetes 24.35 % and Asthma 0.52%. Chewing tobacco, Alcohol consumption, Age, Type of housing, water supply, and sanitation were found to have significant associations with disease causation in the elderly population.


Conclusions:


Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma can be prevented by reducing high-risk factors such as unhealthy lifestyle habits, modifying one's diet, and changing habits related to alcohol and tobacco consumption. As people age, the likelihood of developing NCDs increases. Environmental factors can also contribute to the development of these diseases by acting as risk factors.

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