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VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1 • JULY 2016
RESEARCH ARTICLE
SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
of males had SBP ≥ 140 mmHg and 17% had DBP ≥ 90 mmHg
(Fig. 3). There was no statistical difference between the genders
(SBP,
p
= 0.758; DBP,
p
= 0.503).
Ten per cent of males had fasting blood sugar levels > 6.0
mmol/l compared to 33% of females, while 12.5% of male had a
positive family history of diabetes mellitus (DM) and 3.5% were on
treatment for DM. Sixteen per cent of females had a positive family
history of DM and 2.2% were on treatment for DM (Figs 4, 5).
The prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were
more frequent in women than men (35.9 vs 20.2%, 16.7 vs 14.7%
and 9.0 vs 4.9%) (Fig. 6). Raised total cholesterol was more frequent
in women than men (16 vs 11%). Ten per cent of the population
had elevated total cholesterol levels while 21% had elevated
triglyceride levels (Fig. 7). Nine per cent of males and 5.7% females
ate five or more servings of fruit per day; 1.2% of males and 1.1%
of females ate five or more servings of vegetables per day.
Figure 5.
Body mass index; 29.9% were underweight, 15.6% were
overweight, and 6.7% were obese.
Figure 6.
Cholesterol and triglycerides; 14% of males had elevated lipids, 18%
of females had elevated lipids.
Figure 7.
Smoking habits; 24% had a history of smoking; 9.6% were daily
smokers (average number of cigarettes per day was six for males and three for
females).
Figure 8.
Physical activity; 51% of the population was physically inactive.
Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking (any amount) and excessive
alcohol drinking were more common in men than women (22.5 vs
15.5%, 23.9 vs 10.3%, 4.1 vs 1.2%, respectively). There was no
significant difference between the genders with regard to physical
activity (52% male, 50% female,
p
= 0.703) (Figs 8–10).
Discussion
This is the first population-based survey using internationally
standardised protocols to report the prevalence of risk factors for
NCDs in the Kasese district of Uganda. This study demonstrated that
chronic non-communicable diseases and their risk factors constitute
a public health problem in the Kasese district, with at least one in
five men smoking tobacco, one in five with hypertension, one in 10
with a positive family history of DM, one in five being pre-diabetic
and therefore a candidate for the metabolic syndrome, and one in
five overweight/obese.
The first major finding of this study was the high prevalence of
hypertension, both self-reported and point-measured BP during the
survey. The majority of people with hypertension did not know they
had this medical problem, which is consistent with findings from
other studies in sub-Saharan Africa.
17
Hypertension is the leading
cause of stroke in Africa. A further finding that only 3.7% were
on treatment reflects the low level of knowledge of the dangers of
untreated hypertension in the population. A striking finding was
that there was no difference in the prevalence of hypertension
between the genders.