Mini Female Health Program for detection of non-communicable diseases in Women – In a urban teaching hospital in India

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing with women affected at an early age. The Mini Female Health Program (MFHP) is a simple screening package to detect NCDs in women. OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of selected NCDs in a hospital-based outpatient setting using MFHP. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in an urban teaching hospital in India. MFHP included medical history, physical examination and investigations. NCDS of interest included anaemia, thyroid disorders, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Analysis was performed on groups stratified by age groups (18–30, 31–40 and > 41 years). Between group comparison and association of hypertension with other variables was undertaken. RESULTS: Final analysis included 468 women, of whom 49.8%, 29.9%, and 20.3% were between 18–30, 31–40, and >41 years, respectively. Central obesity was most common NCD (waist to height ratio (WHR) > 0.5 (72.7%), waist circumference (WC) > 80 cm (62.7%)) followed by generalized obesity (body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m(2) (52.4%)), anaemia (52.6%), thyroid disorders (27.4%), hypertension (14.1%) and diabetes (5.1%). Half of the women between 18 and 30 years were either overweight (BMI: 23–25 kg/m(2)) or obese. Increasing age was associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disorders and obesity, but not anaemia. Only 9.8% of women were without an NCD with 17.3% having one NCD and 72.8% reporting multiple NCDs. Hypertension was strongly associated with age and WHR in multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The MFHP has highlighted the high prevalence of NCDs in women, particularly in young women demonstrating the value of simple screening programme in routine clinical care.