Frequency and Awareness of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Frequency of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases

  • Mohamudha Parveen Rahamathulla Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University
  • Mohemmed Sha M Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Keywords: Knowledge, Lifestyle practices, Non-communicable diseases, Prevention, Saudi Arabia, University students

Abstract

Background and Objective: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. This study has evaluated the frequency of the risk factors of NCDs and its awareness among students in a University in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 374 female students of Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University in Wadi Al Dawaser, Saudi Arabia. The study was carried out for a duration of six months, from August 2019 to January 2020. Standard self-administered questionnaire, anthropometric and biochemical parameters were used for data collection, analysed through SPSS version 20.0.

Results: The mean age of the students was 20.6 years. The results showed that 64.7% of students were physically inactive, 52.4% spend more than two hours watching TV. The intake of adequate amount of fruits (14%) and vegetables (6.8%) was very little.  Junk food was consumed >11 times per week by 37.1%. The prevalence of overweight and severe obesity was 25.9% and 5.1% respectively. Blood sugar analysis showed 1.1% had pre-diabetes and 0.8% had diabetes. About 56.2% of students had no knowledge about NCDs and their risk factors.

Conclusion: A high prevalence of risk factors for NCDs was found among students. Awareness programs about healthy lifestyle practices; periodic screening of school and college students at regular intervals with appropriate advice are warranted to control the rising epidemic of NCDs.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2400

How to cite this:
Rahamathulla MP, Sha MM. Frequency and Awareness of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases among University Students in Saudi Arabia. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):740-745. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2400

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Author Biography

Mohemmed Sha M, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Assistant Professor,

Department of Computer Sciences,

College of Arts & Sciences,

Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University,

Wadi Al Dawaser-11991,  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Published
2020-05-14
How to Cite
Rahamathulla, M. P., & M, M. S. (2020). Frequency and Awareness of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases among University Students in Saudi Arabia: Frequency of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2400
Section
Original Articles