12/05/2023
Mini female health programme for detection of Non-communicable diseases in Women – in a urban teaching hospital in India
Dr. Prashanthi Vidyasagar Sangu India
Abstract:
Background and Aim: Prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing with women affected at an early age. The Mini Female Health Program (MFHP) is a simple screening package to detect NCDs in women. This study wanted to know the prevalence of selected NCDs in hospital based outpatient setting using MFHP.
Design: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in an urban teaching hospital in India.
Methods: The MFHP included medical history, physical examination, and investigations. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) of interest included anaemia, thyroid disorders, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Analysis was performed on group stratified by age groups (18-30, 31-40 and >41 years). Groups were compared, and associations between hypertension and other variables were determined.
Results: A total of 600 individuals were recruited, 468 had blood test results, and final analysis included 468 women, of whom 49.8, 29.9 and 20.3% were between 18-30, 31-40 or >41yrs respectively. Central obesity was most common NCD WHR > 0.5 (72.7%), WC> 80cms (62.7%)) followed by generalised obesity (BMI >25kg/m2 (52.4%)), anaemia (52.6%), thyroid disorders (27.4%), hypertension (14.1%) and diabetes (5.1%). Half of the women between 18 and 30 years were either overweight (BMI 23-25kg/m2) or obese. Increasing age was associated with significant increase in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders and obesity, but not anaemia. Only 9.8% of women were without an NCD with 17.3% having one NCD and 72.8% reporting multiple NCDs. Hypertension was strongly associated with age and WHR in multivariate regression analysis.
Conclusion: The MFHP has highlighted the high prevalence of NCDs in women
central obesity being most common, particularly in young women demonstrating the value of simple
