Key result
Older age and obesity linked to higher NCD rates, including ~33% hypertension prevalence over age 60.
Why the study?
The rising prominence of chronic non-communicable diseases underscores the need to analyze these conditions and their associated risk factors, including socioeconomic and educational characteristics in urban and rural populations.
Cohort (n=2,028)
Yes
In the PURE-Ecuador cohort, self-reported NCDs and multimorbidity were significantly associated with older age and higher BMI, while socioeconomic factors were less pronounced after adjustment.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May guide age-focused NCD monitoring in Ecuador; extends PURE observations but leaves causal questions open.
Background: The changing epidemiological landscape, marked by the increasing prominence of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs), underscores the need for studies that identify and analyze these conditions and their associated risk factors. This secondary analysis aims to describe the association between socioeconomic and educational characteristics and the prevalence of self-reported NCDs among participants in the PURE-Ecuador cohort in urban and rural populations of the Metropolitan District of Quito (MDQ), Ecuador. Methods: This secondary analysis is part of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study. Data were collected from February to December 2018, including 2028 participants aged 35 to 70 years from different urban and rural areas of the MDQ. Data collection utilized standardized questionnaires administered in face-to-face interviews. Pearson's chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess associations. Results: The self-reported prevalence of hypertension was 16.2%, rising to 32.7% in individuals over 60 years old. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 6.7%, coronary heart disease 1.3%, stroke 1.6%, heart failure 1.3%, COPD 0.4%, asthma 1.3%, and cancer 1.9%. Multimorbidity affected 5.9% of participants, with the highest rates in obese and older individuals (≥60 years). Adherence to medications was high for hypertension and diabetes mellitus but varied substantially between communities. Conclusions: The secondary analysis revealed significant disparities in the prevalence and management of NCDs in MDQ. The prevalence of self-reported NCDs in Quito, Ecuador, is significantly associated with age and body mass index (BMI). Older individuals, particularly those over 60 years, and obese participants demonstrated higher rates of NCDs and multimorbidity. While socioeconomic factors such as education and income showed some associations with NCD prevalence, these were less pronounced after adjusting for other variables. These findings highlight the importance of age-specific and obesity-focused interventions in addressing the burden of NCDs in this population.
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Félix et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs) (n=2,028). Socioeconomic factors, educational characteristics, age, and BMI was evaluated on Prevalence of self-reported NCDs. Older age and obesity were significantly associated with higher rates of self-reported non-communicable diseases, with hypertension prevalence at 16.2% overall and 32.7% in individuals over 60 years.
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