Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Among Working Adults in Dhaka City: A Cross-sectional Survey

 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The impact of NCDs on working adults extends beyond ill health and mortality with large financial consequences; however, the distribution of NCD risk factors in working adults is understudied. Therefore, this study aimed to find out the magnitude of NCD risk factors in Bangladeshi working adults.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 among 410 working adults aged between 35 to 60 years who were selected purposively and residing in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data were collected on socio-demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors. We used mean (standard deviation) or median (interquartile range) for continuous variables and frequency and percentages for categorical variables. We performed inferential statistics to investigate the determinants of hypertension.

 The mean age of the participants was 43.4±6.9 years, and about one-fourth of the participants (24.7%) were current smokers. Smokeless tobacco consumption was moderate (16.5%), and alcoholic beverage intake was rare (3%). The majority of the participants (78%) reported insufficient physical activity. Furthermore, almost all participants had a history of inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (99.8% and 98.8%, respectively), and almost half of the participants (48.0%) were overweight. Moreover, age, occupation, physical activity, and education were significantly different (P<0.05) among hypertensive and non-hypertensive groups.

 The results indicated a high proportion of NCD risk factors among working adults living in the capital city of Bangladesh. We believe that the findings of this study will bolster existing and future efforts to prevent NCDs in the working adult population.