Lifestyle Risk Factor Assessment Through WHO STEP Approach in Tabriz, Iran

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyle behaviour and risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. METHODS: A household study using a two-stage cluster sampling method was performed. Tabriz city was randomly selected for data collection among five geographic regions in the East-Azerbaijan province. Short WHO-STEP and Ultra-short version of Socio-Economic Status assessment questionnaire were used. Six hundred households were asked to respond to the STEP questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1196 people have participated in the study. People with higher socioeconomic status consumed more fruits, vegetables and fish than the people with lower socioeconomic status. People with academic education less likely to be hypertensive compared to people with non-academic education. People with a medium socioeconomic status are less likely to be hypertensive than people with high socioeconomic status. The majority of participants had poor dietary habits. In this study, 17.22%, 7.53% and 4.35% of respondents had hypertension, diabetes and depression, respectively. CONCLUSION: Considering that lifestyle-related risk factors are common among people. Due to the direct link between lifestyle and the occurrence of many chronic diseases, campaigns for and training programs to implement healthy lifestyle habits are recommended.