Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable disease: a university-based cross-sectional study after the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for major health complications globally as well as in Bangladesh. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of risk factors for NCD among students and faculty/staff of the University of Dhaka after the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study (June 2022-July 2023) was conducted collecting information of sociodemographic factors, sleeping and food habits, family history, smoking, usage of electronic devices, refractive errors, and physical measurements, all of which were linked to risk factors. Subsequent analyses, such as bivariate, univariate, and logistic regression, were conducted on the population to evaluate associations between NCD status and the respective risk factors. The overall mean age, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 22.34 years, 5.88 mmol/L, 23.27 kg/m2, 118.47 mm Hg, and 75.69 mm Hg, respectively. The most significant NCD risk factors were obesity (50.37%), followed by high sugar level (hyperglycemic) (13.45%), and hypertension (11.98%). This study showed a significant number of NCD risk factors among University of Dhaka students and staff following COVID-19, underlining the urgent need for focused health interventions, particularly those addressing food and sleep. Addressing these hazards is critical to avoiding growing NCD incidence to ensure an effective healthcare system in Bangladesh.