Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors Assessment among Socio-economically Weaker Rural Population of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Background: The rapid epidemiological transition in India has resulted in a steep rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), commonly cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma), and diabetes. Vast rural populations are equally vulnerable to lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases due to a lack of awareness and adoption of harmful lifestyle practices under the increasing trend of urban influences. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NPNCD) aims at addressing these issues; tools like the Community-Based Assessment Checklist (CBAC) have been introduced to identify individuals at risk for NCDs. Objectives: To estimate the NCD risk factors and to identify individuals at risk for NCDs, using the Community-Based Assessment Checklist (CBAC) among the rural adult population of Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India Materials & Methods: A descriptive, community-based cross-sectional study conducted at the rural field practice area of Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. 209 randomly selected adult participants aged 18 years or more were assessed for NCD risk factors using CBAC, and a risk score was assigned to individuals. A score above 4 indicates that a person is at high risk of developing NCDs. Result: High prevalence of NCD risk factors like tobacco use in any form (61.7%), exposure to indoor smoke during cooking (52.2%), inadequate physical activity (51.7%), and positive family history for NCDs (18.2%) were noted among the study subjects. 56% of participants were classified as high-risk for NCDs with CBAC scores of more than four. NCD risk score above 4 was significantly high (p = 0.00002) in males, with increase in age (p = 0.00001), both in overweight and obese category (p = 0.00001), among the subjects with central obesity (p = 0.035 for women; p = 0.0005 for men respectively), with hypertension (p = 0.00001), and with no formal schooling (p = 0.004), and who were separated or widowed (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The CBAC tool demonstrated strong effectiveness in identifying individuals at risk in resource-limited settings, providing an opportunity for increasing awareness, to be investigated further for NCDs, and for initiating early interventions and management for NCDs. Key words: NCD Risk factors, Rural areas, Community-Based Assessment Checklist