Association of Behavioural and Biological Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases with Sociodemographic Correlates in Urban Kalaburagi WHO STEPS Approach

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are shaped not only by individual behaviours but also by the sociodemographic context in which they occur, with socioeconomic status and educational level known to influence the distribution of both behavioural and biological risk factors. Understanding these correlates at the community level is important for designing equitable and targeted preventive strategies in rapidly urbanizing settings in India. Objective: To estimate the relationship of behavioural and biological risk factors for non-communicable diseases with sociodemographic correlates among adults in an urban field-practice area of Kalaburagi. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 adults aged 18–64 years residing in the field practice area of the Urban Health Training Centre (UHTC), Rajapur, Kalaburagi, between February 2021 and August 2022, using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and behavioural and biological risk factors were collected using a WHO STEPS-based questionnaire along with physical measurements. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.0; the Chi-square test was used to assess associations between socioeconomic/educational status and risk factors, with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: Smoking, smokeless tobacco use, current alcohol use, and sedentary behaviour at work and during travel were all significantly more common among participants of socioeconomic class V compared with higher classes (p<0.001 for all). No significant association was found between socioeconomic status and overweight/obesity, hypertension or diabetes mellitus (p>0.05). However, educational status was significantly associated with both overweight/obesity and hypertension (p<0.05), with the highest prevalence among participants educated to the post-graduate level, while no significant association was found between educational status and diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Behavioural risk factors for NCDs showed a strong inverse relationship with socioeconomic status, while biological risk factors were more closely linked to educational status than to socioeconomic class. These findings underscore the need for socioeconomically and educationally tailored preventive strategies to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in urban India.

Keywords: Non-communicable diseases; risk factors; socioeconomic status; educational status; WHO STEPS; sociodemographic correlates