Prevalence and determinants of self-reported heart disease among Indian men aged 15–54 years: Evidence from NFHS-5

Introduction There is a scarcity of pan-India epidemiological studies examining the factors associated with self-reported heart disease. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence and factors associated with self-reported heart disease in India using data from a large-scale nationally representative survey conducted in 2019-21. Data and methods This study used data from the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted during 2019-21. A cross-sectional sample of 1,01,529 men aged 15–54 years was analysed. Bivariate statistics and binary logistic regression were employed to assess the prevalence and determinants of heart disease. Result The prevalence of self-reported heart disease among Indian men aged 15–54 was 1050 per 1,00,000. Men aged 40–49 (OR: 3.70, 95% CI: 2.59–5.28), 49–54 years (OR: 5.67, 95% CI: 3.92–8.19), Muslim men (OR:1.62, 95% CI: 1.32–2.00), men from rural areas (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.23–1.83), and southern region (OR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.40–2.59) had higher odds of heart disease. Men who consumed tobacco had higher odds of developing heart disease (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.95–1.33), as did those with comorbidities such as cancer (OR: 50.93, 95% CI: 35.26–73.57) and diabetes (OR: 5.06, 95% CI: 4.08–6.28). Conclusion Several sociodemographic, geographic, biological and behavioural factors were associated with self-reported heart disease among Indian men aged 15–54 years, highlighting the need for targeted public health interventions to address these risk factors. Further research is needed to develop effective strategies to reduce the burden of heart disease in India.