A study to assess the risk factors of selected noncommunicable diseases (ncds) among women in urban communities of Mysuru

Introduction: Chronic Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors have emerged rapidly and are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. The impact of NCDs is devastating in terms of premature morbidity, mortality, and economic loss. The rise of NCDs has been driven by primarily four major risk factors: tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets. NCDs are chronic diseases of long duration and generally slow progression and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors. India being a patriarchal society, women have very little role to play in their health care issues. A famous slogan, “Healthy Women, Healthy World”, embodies the fact that as custodians of family health, women play a critical role in maintaining the health and overall well-being of her communities. In developing countries like India, where resources are limited, preventive measures and lifestyle modification appears to be the only essential weapon. Aim and Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the risk factors for NCDs among women residing in selected urban communities of Mysuru and to find the association between the selected non communicable diseases and the selected personal variables of women. Methods: Research design adopted for the study was an exploratory survey method. Non probability purposive sampling was used to select 150 women for the study. Risk factors of women for NCDs was assessed by using risk assessment tool for NCDs. Risk scores of women were entered into a datasheet and classified as low, moderate and high risk groups. 72 women were having low risk and 78 women were having moderate to high risk for NCDs. Results: The results of the study revealed that 52% of women had moderate to high risk for NCDs. There was a statistically significant association between the risk factors of women for NCDs and their selected personal variables viz. age, family history of NCDs, BMI, and waist circumference. Conclusion: The study findings stress the increasing responsibility of health professionals in planning and implementing various educational strategies to improve the knowledge of the public regarding prevention and management of selected NCDs which in turn help to reduce their risk for NCDs in their later life.