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The rural Uganda non-communicable disease (RUNCD) study: prevalence and risk factors of self-reported NCDs from a cross sectional survey

Siddharthan T, Kalyesubula R, Morgan B, Ermer T, Rabin TL, Kayongo A, Munana R, Anton N, Kast K, Schaeffner E, Kirenga B, Knauf F (2021)

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Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Book Volume: 21

Article Number: 2036

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12123-7

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are an increasing global concern, with morbidity and mortality largely occurring in low- and middle-income settings. We established the prospective Rural Uganda Non-Communicable Disease (RUNCD) cohort to longitudinally characterize the NCD prevalence, progression, and complications in rural Africa. Methods: We conducted a population-based census for NCD research. We systematically enrolled adults in each household among three sub-counties of the larger Nakaseke Health district and collected baseline demographic, health status, and self-reported chronic disease information. We present our data on self-reported chronic disease, as stratified by age, sex, educational attainment, and sub-county. Results: A total of 16,694 adults were surveyed with 10,563 (63%) respondents enrolled in the self-reported study. Average age was 37.8 years (SD = 16.5) and 45% (7481) were male. Among self-reported diseases, hypertension (HTN) was most prevalent (6.3%). 1.1% of participants reported a diagnosis of diabetes, 1.1% asthma, 0.7% COPD, and 0.4% kidney disease. 2.4% of the population described more than one NCD. Self-reported HTN was significantly higher in the peri-urban subcounty than in the other two rural sub-counties (p < 0.001); diagnoses for all other diseases did not differ significantly between sub-counties. Odds for self-reported HTN increased significantly with age (OR = 1.87 per 10 years of age, 95% CI 1.78–1.96). Male sex was associated with lower odds of reporting asthma (OR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.34–0.82) or HTN (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.26–0.40). Conclusions: The RUNCD will establish one of the largest NCD patient cohorts in rural Africa. First analysis highlights the feasibility of systematically enrolling large numbers of adults living in a rural Ugandan district. In addition, our study demonstrates low levels of self-reported NCDs compared to the nation-wide established levels, emphasizing the need to better educate, characterize, and care for the majority of rural communities.

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APA:

Siddharthan, T., Kalyesubula, R., Morgan, B., Ermer, T., Rabin, T.L., Kayongo, A.,... Knauf, F. (2021). The rural Uganda non-communicable disease (RUNCD) study: prevalence and risk factors of self-reported NCDs from a cross sectional survey. BMC Public Health, 21(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12123-7

MLA:

Siddharthan, Trishul, et al. "The rural Uganda non-communicable disease (RUNCD) study: prevalence and risk factors of self-reported NCDs from a cross sectional survey." BMC Public Health 21.1 (2021).

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