A cross-sectional assessment of risk factors of non-communicable diseases among adolescents of rural area in Darjeeling district of West Bengal

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), principally cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability globally. The basic element of NCD prevention is the identification of the common risk factors and their prevention and control.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of risk factors of non-communicable disease among adolescents of rural area in Darjeeling district of west Bengal.Materials and methods: During the month of June 2015 to July 2015, 280 adolescents (10-19 years) were chosen from Kawakhali village, Matigara. They were interviewed and some measurements were taken.Results: The prevalence of behavioral risk factors like tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol, unhealthy diet was37 .2%,33.3%,15.4%, 88.5% respectively while that the prevalence of biological risk factors like overweight, abdominal obesity and hypertension was 31.6%,3.8 % and 31.6%, respectively. The prevalence of behavioral risk factors was seen among 17-19 years of age while the biological risk factors were seen among 10-13 years of age.Conclusion:A high prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases was found in Siliguri city which emphasizes the need of interventions to reduce these risk factors.