Prevalence and determinants of non-communicable diseases and risk factors among adults in Lebanon: a multicentric cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: Evidence on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence and associated risk factors informs primary health care consolidation regarding prevention and treatment strategies. In Lebanon, the government and many international organisations are still working to decrease the burden of NCDs. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of selected NCDs and their risk factors among adults in Lebanon, and to investigate the relationship between these risk factors and NCDs.

Study design: A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted over one year, from 1 June 2022 to 31 June 2023, across five Lebanese governorates.

Methods: Participants aged ≥18 years were considered eligible for enrolment in the study. Data on the sociodemographic, behavioural and medical characteristics of participants were collected.

Results: From the total study population (n = 4540), 52.4% reported one or more NCDs. The prevalence of most prominent NCDs were hypertension (32.8%), diabetes (26.8%), cardiovascular disease (16.1%), asthma (7.1%) and cancer (3.7%). Results showed a significant association between gender and smoking, high-fibre diet and asthma (P-value <0.05). Findings showed a highly significant association between age categories and smoking, high-fibre diet, physical activity, diagnosis with NCDs, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (P-value <0.0001).

Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of NCDs among adults living in Lebanon. Prevention, treatment and control of NCDs and their risk factors are a public health priority in Lebanon, and resources are required to provide targeted interventions with a multisectoral approach.

Keywords: Lebanon; Non-communicable diseases; Prevalence; Risk factors.