Rate of suicide and suicide attempts and their relationship to unemployment in Thessaloniki Greece (2000-2012)

The relationship between a comprehensive index of prosperity and suicide rates in former Soviet countries, including a comparison with European and Asian countries: Discussion from a new perspective

Investigations of suicide in countries of the former Soviet Union, which broke into 15 different countries in the early 1990s, require examinations of a combination of economic, social, and health factors. It is important to address these factors individually and to examine the various composite indicators for each. Moreover, it would be worthwhile to explore the potential applicability of a comprehensive worldwide index. We analyzed data from nine of the former Soviet countries for which both the annual suicide rate and the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) were available for the years 2006-2017. We determined the precise relationships between the suicide rate and the GCI during this period in these nine countries as well as in nine countries with high suicide rates in Europe and Asia. The results indicated the following: (i) In six of the nine former Soviet countries with complete data, the suicide rate showed a relationship with the GCI. Notably, this relationship was inverse in all but one country. (ii) Among the nine European and Asian countries with high suicide rates, three exhibited a correlation between the suicide rate and the GCI. Measures to prevent suicide should be devised especially in countries of the former Soviet Union through collaboration among multiple fields and organizations, as necessary, with particular attention paid to countries with worse or worsening GCI values.

Definitions and incidence rates of self-harm and suicide attempts in Europe: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

European countries use various terminologies for self-harm and attempted suicide, which are sometimes used interchangeably. This complicates cross-country comparisons of incidence rates. This scoping review aimed to examine the definitions used and the possibilities to identify and compare incidence rates of self-harm and attempted suicide in Europe.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted in Embase, Medline and PsycINFO for studies published from 1990 to 2021, followed by grey literature searches. Data were collected for total populations originating from health care institutions or registries. Results were presented in tabular form supplemented by a qualitative summary by area.

RESULTS

A total of 3160 articles were screened, resulting in 43 studies included from databases and further 29 studies from other sources. Most studies used the term 'suicide attempt' rather than 'self-harm' and reported person-based rates with annual incidence rates from age 15+. None of the rates were considered comparable due to different reporting traditions related to classification codes and statistical approaches.

CONCLUSION

The present extensive literature on self-harm and attempted suicide cannot be used to compare findings between countries because of the high degree of heterogeneity among studies. International agreement on definitions and registration practices is needed to improve knowledge and understanding of suicidal behaviour.

Intentional self-poisoning with medications: Occurrence, recurrence and suicide deaths

This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with the occurrence and recurrence of intentional self-poisoning with medications (ISP-M), and suicide deaths by ISP-M in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In this cross-sectional analytical study, we used logistic regression models to analyze data obtained through health information systems. Factors associated with use of ISP-M as a method were female gender, white skin color, occurrence in urban areas and at home. The ISP-M as a method was less reported in people presumed under the influence of alcohol. Lower chance of death by suicide using ISP-M was found among young people and adults (under 60 years old).

A quarter of century after: The changing ecology of psychiatric emergency services

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies demonstrated a trend of increasing common mental disorders among the Emergency Department (ED) visitors in Western countries. Little is known about the current conditions of the emergency psychiatric services in Asian countries. This study aims to survey the current epidemiology and the changing ecology of emergency psychiatry services in Taiwan.

METHODS

A total of 804 psychiatry consultations were initiated at the ED during the 1-year period from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015 in a medical center in northern Taiwan. Clinical data of gender, age, chief complaints, tentative diagnoses, dispositions, and ED staying hours were compared to a previous report in the same hospital in 1988.

RESULTS

Psychiatry consultation was initiated in 0.72% of all ED visits (804/111,923). Among these visits, females were 1.73 times of the males. The most common chief complaints were psychosis/mania (33.5%) and suicide/self-harm (33.2%), followed by homicide/violence (12.8%) and anxiety/depression (10.3%). Top tentative diagnoses were schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders (31.3%), trauma- and stressor-related disorders (17.5%), bipolar disorders (15.9%), and depressive disorders (14.2%). Compared to 1988, there are three major changes: (1) over-representation of female patients, (2) an increase of "neurosis" patients, and (3) an increase of suicide/self-harm as chief problem.

DISCUSSION

This study portrays the current epidemiology and changing ecology of psychiatric emergency in Taiwan. The increase of neurotic and suicide/self-harm patients requires more services and clinical training in managing common mental disorders and suicide in the ED.

Suicidality Related to the COVID-19 Lockdown in Romania: Structural Equation Modeling

Background

Suicidality is a serious public health concern at a global scale. Suicide itself is considered to be preventable death; worldwide, suicide rates and their trends are under constant scrutiny. As part of the international COMET-G cross-sectional study, we conducted a national level investigation to examine the individual disturbances (such as anxiety, depression, or history of life-threatening attempts) and contextual factors (such as adherence to conspiracy theories or Internet use) associated with suicidality related to the COVID-19 lockdown in a lot of Romanian adults.

Participants and Methods

One thousand four hundred and forty-six adults responded to an anonymous on-line questionnaire, with mean age ± standard deviation of 47.03 ± 14.21 years (1,142 females, 292 males, 12 identified themselves as non-binary). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results

Univariate analysis showed strong significant correlation between anxiety and depression scorings among the respondents (Spearman R = 0.776, p < 0.001). Both the suicidality scorings and the Internet use correlated fairly with anxiety and depression, with two-by-two Spearman coefficients between R = 0.334 and R = 0.370 (p < 0.001 for each). SEM analysis substantiated the emotional disturbances, previous life-threatening attempts, and younger age as significant predictors for suicidality. The patterns of reality reading (including religious inquiries, Internet use, and beliefs in conspiracy theories) did not reach the statistical significance as influential factors in the suicidality of these respondents. There was no covariance between the Internet use and belief in conspiracy theories.

Conclusion

The study confirmed the suicidality risk initially hypothesized as being associated with the history of life-threatening attempts, increased depression within the younger population, and higher anxiety during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdown. National strategies for effective interventions at various levels of the healthcare system should be developed.

Employment and suicidal rates during economic recession: A country-targeted integrative review

BACKGROUND

The economic crisis' effects on suicide rates for countries undergoing or exiting austerity measures have been widely debated. This integrative review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize available evidence of employment status effect on suicide mortality rates in Greece during the recent economic recession period.

METHODS

A literature review of studies evaluating suicides in the general Greek population, as well as across age and gender groups, in relation to employment during the economic crisis period was performed. PubMed electronic database was searched for relevant articles published in English or Greek language from 2009 up to February 2020. Appraisal was carried out based on the Hierarchy of Evidence Rating System and the GRADE guidelines.

RESULTS

A total of 24 articles met all inclusion criteria with 20 of them at level IV, 2 at level VII, and 2 at level VIII. A total of 18 studies reported increase of suicide rates during the economic recession period. About 12 studies examined the co-relation between unemployment and suicide rate, with ten studies showing a positive correlation. Moreover, thirteen studies reported data on the effect of gender and age variables on suicide rates.

CONCLUSION

Evidence shows that suicide mortality rates in Greece increased after the eruption of economic recession, particularly after the implementation of radical austerity measures (2011-2014). This increase was positively correlated with unemployment and was more prominent among males of working age. Further in depth epidemiological research of regional variations in terms of profile and contributing or enabling factors of suicidal behavior is needed.

Identification of Suicide Attempt Risk Factors in a National US Survey Using Machine Learning

IMPORTANCE

Because more than one-third of people making nonfatal suicide attempts do not receive mental health treatment, it is essential to extend suicide attempt risk factors beyond high-risk clinical populations to the general adult population.

OBJECTIVE

To identify future suicide attempt risk factors in the general population using a data-driven machine learning approach including more than 2500 questions from a large, nationally representative survey of US adults.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Data came from wave 1 (2001 to 2002) and wave 2 (2004 to 2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). NESARC is a face-to-face longitudinal survey conducted with a national representative sample of noninstitutionalized civilian population 18 years and older in the US. The cumulative response rate across both waves was 70.2% resulting in 34 653 wave 2 interviews. A balanced random forest was trained using cross-validation to develop a suicide attempt risk model. Out-of-fold model prediction was used to assess model performance, including the area under the receiver operator curve, sensitivity, and specificity. Survey design and nonresponse weights allowed estimates to be representative of the US civilian population based on the 2000 census. Analyses were performed between May 15, 2019, and June 10, 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Attempted suicide in the 3 years between wave 1 and wave 2 interviews.

RESULTS

Of 34 653 participants, 20 089 were female (weighted proportion, 52.1%). The weighted mean (SD) age was 45.1 (17.3) years at wave 1 and 48.2 (17.3) years at wave 2. Attempted suicide during the 3 years between wave 1 and wave 2 interviews was self-reported by 222 of 34 653 participants (0.6%). Using survey questions measured at wave 1, the suicide attempt risk model yielded a cross-validated area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.857 with a sensitivity of 85.3% (95% CI, 79.8-89.7) and a specificity of 73.3% (95% CI, 72.8-73.8) at an optimized threshold. The model identified 1.8% of the US population to be at a 10% or greater risk of suicide attempt. The most important risk factors were 3 questions about previous suicidal ideation or behavior; 3 items from the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, namely feeling downhearted, doing activities less carefully, or accomplishing less because of emotional problems; younger age; lower educational achievement; and recent financial crisis.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this study, after searching through more than 2500 survey questions, several well-known risk factors of suicide attempt were confirmed, such as previous suicidal behaviors and ideation, and new risks were identified, including functional impairment resulting from mental disorders and socioeconomic disadvantage. These results may help guide future clinical assessment and the development of new suicide risk scales.

Psychosocial and Clinical Profiles of the Cases Visiting the Emergency Department Due to Accidental Self-harm and Suicide Attempts in Doha, Qatar: A Retrospective Study

The aims of this study were to retrospectively assess the profiles of subjects with suicide attempts and self-harm in Doha, Qatar; and whether the available data were complete. We reviewed all the records of fatal and non-fatal suicides together with accidental self-ham cases seen in the major Emergency Department in Doha, over a one-year period. There was 37 completed suicide, mostly male expatriates in mid 30 s who died by hanging. In cases with suicide intent (N = 270), more males were admitted to Psychiatry than women. Overdose was the common method and the majority had mood disorders. In self-harm cases with no suicide intent (N = 150) the majority were not seen by Psychiatry. The profiles of suicide cases in Qatar are similar to those reported internationally. However, there is a major need to establish a comprehensive system to register and assess all self-harm patients in Qatar.

Suicides in Greece before and during the period of austerity by sex and age group: Relationship to unemployment and economic variables

BACKGROUND

There is disagreement on the specific mechanism through which the economic recession increased suicides in Greece. Unemployment is considered by many authors to be the determining factor but the data are inconclusive and often negative, especially concerning the temporal relationship between onset of increase in unemployment and increase in suicides AIMS: The aim of this paper was to clarify the specific role of unemployment as well as of other socioeconomic variables on specific age-by-gender groups concerning the increase in suicides.

METHODS

Data of the Hellenic Statistical Authority ELSTAT (www.

STATISTICS

gr) were analyzed with Linear Regression Analysis and Bonferroni correction for multiple testing RESULTS: Unemployment correlates with suicide rates only in males aged 20-24, 50-54 and 60-64 years (p < 0.001). Unemployment could held responsible for an additional 148 male deaths during the period 2009-2015, which accounts for 5.3% of the total (29 additional deaths per year). The changes in all the socioeconomic conditions could held responsible for 317 cases of suicide or 9.4% of total CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggest that there was a 33% increase in deaths by suicide in Greece during the early years of recession (2009-2015); one third could be directly attributed to unemployment, one third to other consequences of recession while another third is of unknown origin. The effect of unemployment is specifically restricted to males at the beginning of their working career (20-24 years old) and to middle aged (45-49 and 55-59 years old).

Greek university student's attitudes and beliefs concerning mental illness and its treatment

INTRODUCTION

Stigma concerning mental disorder is a widespread phenomenon concerning the beliefs and attitudes of the public toward mental patients with a significant negative impact on state policy and the outcome of the patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 1,363 students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The survey was based on an Internet-based electronic platform. The statistical analysis included analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Yates corrected chi-square test.

RESULTS

Approximately, 87% of students responded that they know what mental disorder is, 70% were informed from the Internet, 30% consider mental patients responsible for their condition, more than 95% blame the way they were raised and almost 60% consider mental disorder to be heritable. Only a minority feel negatively with a mental patient around and close to 80% would socialize with them. More than 80% accept the need for psychiatric medication treatment but the opinion is split concerning compulsory treatment, and one-third consider medication to be harmful.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study suggest that most students believe they know much about mental illness; however, overall their responses are contradictory. They reply with confidence although they are informed mainly by the media and the Internet in an unreliable way. A number of factors including gender, specific school or personal experience of mental disorder in the family seem to influence the result. A combined educational plus contact might be necessary to reduce stigma, since education alone seems to exert a weak effect.

'Suicide rates in Crete, Greece during the economic crisis: the effect of age, gender, unemployment and mental health service provision'

BACKGROUND

Recently, suicides in Greece have drawn national and international interest due to the current economic crisis. According to published reports, suicides in Greece have increased up to 40% and Crete has been highlighted as an area with the sharpest increase.

AIM

To investigate the suicide mortality rates in Crete between 1999 and 2013 and their association with the economic crisis.

METHODS

Data on suicides were selected from the Department of Forensic Medicine files of the University of Crete.

RESULTS

Our analysis showed that (1) Crete, has the highest suicide mortality rate in Greece, however no significant increase was observed between 1999 and 2013, (2) there were opposing trends between men and women, with women showing a decrease whereas men showed an increase in that period, (3) there was a significant increase of suicides in middle-aged men (40-64 yrs) and elderly, although the highest unemployment rates were observed in young men and women, and (4) finally, there was a regional shift of suicides with a significant decrease in Western Crete and a significant increase in Eastern Crete.

CONCLUSIONS

Although, Crete has the highest suicide mortality rates in Greece, we did not observe an overall increase during the last 15 years, including the period of economic crisis. Furthermore, there was an increase in middle-aged and elderly men, whereas young men and women showed oppositional trends during the years of austerity. This may be related to the culturally different expectations for the two genders, as well as that younger individuals may find refuge to either strong family ties or by immigrating abroad. Finally, the relative increase of suicides in Eastern Crete may be explained by factors, such as the lack of community mental health services in that area.

Ancestry and different rates of suicide and homicide in European countries: A study with population-level data

INTRODUCTION

There are large differences in suicide rates across Europe. The current study investigated the relationship of suicide and homicide rates in different countries of Europe with ancestry as it is defined with the haplotype frequencies of Y-DNA and mtDNA.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The mortality data were retrieved from the WHO online database. The genetic data were retrieved from http://www.eupedia.com. The statistical analysis included Forward Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression analysis and Pearson Correlation Coefficient (R).

RESULTS

In males, N and R1a Y-DNA haplotypes were positively related to both homicidal and suicidal behaviors while I1 was negatively related. The Q was positively related to the homicidal rate. Overall, 60-75% of the observed variance was explained. L, J and X mtDNA haplogroups were negatively related with suicide in females alone, with 82-85% of the observed variance described.

DISCUSSION

The current study should not be considered as a study of genetic markers but rather a study of human ancestry. Its results could mean that research on suicidality has a strong biological but locally restricted component and could be limited by the study population; generalizability of the results at an international level might not be possible. Further research with patient-level data are needed to verify whether these haplotypes could serve as biological markers to identify persons at risk to commit suicide or homicide and whether biologically-determined ancestry could serve as an intermediate grouping method or even as an endophenotype in suicide research.

Suicide attempts: epidemiologic trends towards geoprocessing

In order to study data about suicide attempts and do the mapping of occurrence areas, it was developed an ecologic and exploring study, making use of techniques of geoprocessing, based on confirmed cases of suicide attempts. Cases of self-poisoning were included in the urban area of Campina Grande county, in the period of 2010-2013. A total of 446 suicide attempts were geo-referred, pointing up an incidence of 120 cases out of each 100,000 inhabitants. The sample was mostly feminine (66.4%), and 62.3% being up to 30 years old. Kernel's map remarked hot spot areas. Compared to surrounding areas the suicide risk of populations within the hot spots was increased (38%; Relative Risk = 1.38; p= 0.0029), with an average estimative of 165 suicide attempts out of 100,000 inhabitants. Through identification of hot spots and index of living conditions of the neighborhoods, it is possible to set priorities in terms of public policies for the prevention of suicide attempts and control of the marketing of substances that are potentially toxic.

National Trends in Suicide Attempts Among Adults in the United States

Importance

A recent increase in suicide in the United States has raised public and clinical interest in determining whether a coincident national increase in suicide attempts has occurred and in characterizing trends in suicide attempts among sociodemographic and clinical groups.

Objective

To describe trends in recent suicide attempts in the United States.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Data came from the 2004-2005 wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and the 2012-2013 NESARC-III. These nationally representative surveys asked identical questions to 69 341 adults, 21 years and older, concerning the occurrence and timing of suicide attempts. Risk differences adjusted for age, sex, and race/ethnicity (ARDs) assessed trends from the 2004-2005 to 2012-2013 surveys in suicide attempts across sociodemographic and psychiatric disorder strata. Additive interactions tests compared the magnitude of trends in prevalence of suicide attempts across levels of sociodemographic and psychiatric disorder groups. The analyses were performed from February 8, 2017, through May 31, 2017.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Self-reported attempted suicide in the 3 years before the interview.

Results

With use of data from the 69 341 participants (42.8% men and 57.2% women; mean [SD] age, 48.1 [17.2] years), the weighted percentage of US adults making a recent suicide attempt increased from 0.62% in 2004-2005 (221 of 34 629) to 0.79% in 2012-2013 (305 of 34 712; ARD, 0.17%; 95% CI, 0.01%-0.33%; P = .04). In both surveys, most adults with recent suicide attempts were female (2004-2005, 60.17%; 2012-2013, 60.94%) and younger than 50 years (2004-2005, 84.75%; 2012-2013, 80.38%). The ARD for suicide attempts was significantly larger among adults aged 21 to 34 years (0.48%; 95% CI, 0.09% to 0.87%) than among adults 65 years and older (0.06%; 95% CI, -0.02% to 0.14%; interaction P = .04). The ARD for suicide attempts was also significantly larger among adults with no more than a high school education (0.49%; 95% CI, 0.18% to 0.80%) than among college graduates (0.03%; 95% CI, -0.17% to 0.23%; interaction P = .003); the ARD was also significantly larger among adults with antisocial personality disorder (2.16% [95% CI, 0.61% to 3.71%] vs 0.07% [95% CI, -0.09% to 0.23%]; interaction P = .01), a history of violent behavior (1.04% [95% CI, 0.35% to 1.73%] vs 0.00% [95% CI, -0.12% to 0.12%]; interaction P = .003), or a history of anxiety (1.43% [95% CI, 0.47% to 2.39%] vs 0.18% [95% CI, 0.04% to 0.32%]; interaction P = .01) or depressive (0.99% [95% CI, -0.09% to 2.07%] vs -0.08% [95% CI, -0.20% to 0.04%]; interaction P = .05) disorders than among adults without these conditions.

Conclusions and Relevance

A recent overall increase in suicide attempts among adults in the United States has disproportionately affected younger adults with less formal education and those with antisocial personality disorder, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and a history of violence.

Attempted suicide in Podgorica, Montenegro: higher rates in females and unemployed males

BACKGROUND

A change in suicide attempts is associated with comprehensive changes in mental and physical health and social environment. Attempted suicide and suicide are one of the biggest problems nowadays worldwide, not only in the field of mental health but also in the field of public health. The aim of the research was to determine the number of attempted suicides as well as the influence of clinical and demographic variables on the attempted suicide rate.

METHODS

The data on the attempted suicide were analysed in the period 2012-2016 based on the data from the Emergency Ward of the Clinical Centre of Montenegro in Podgorica. The rate of attempted suicides as well as the unemployment rate was calculated. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics of the raw data and relative numbers, Chi-squared test, Fisher's test and Spearman coefficient.

RESULTS

The average age of males who attempted suicide was 38.35 ± 14.11, min 15 and max 88 years of age, and the age of women was 38.97 ± 16.81, min 16 and max 93 years of age. Women attempted suicide more frequently (p < 0.05). Female/male ratio during the investigation period slightly declined (1.93 in 2012 vs. 1.29 in 2016). The attempted suicide rates ranged from 103 per 100,000 residents in 2016 to 142 per 100,000 residents in 2015. Crude attempt rate was the highest in women in 2012 (102.42 per 100,000 residents) and for men in 2014 and 2015 (84.48 vs. 83.06 per 100,000 residents). Poisoning with psychotropic drugs was the dominant manner of attempt (93.2%), while the largest number of attempts was in the late spring and summer (May, June and July). Attempted suicide rate in man was associated with higher unemployment rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Although women make the majority of attempted suicide cases, there has been a decline in the value of the rate for women and a rise for men. The attempted suicide rates in Podgorica belong to lower rates compared to the WHO European multicentre study on parasuicide. Poisoning with psychotropic drugs was the predominant manner, while the highest number of attempted suicides was in the late spring and summer (May, June and July). Unemployment influences men to attempt suicide much more frequently.

Being hit twice: The psychological consequences of the economic crisis and an earthquake

BACKGROUND

The Great Recession has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health. Italy has not been spared from the financial crisis with severe societal and mental health consequences. In addition, a strong earthquake hit the province of Modena, Italy, in 2012, that is, amid the crisis.

AIMS

In this study, we explored and investigated the possible additional impact of concurrent events such as economic crisis and a natural disaster.

METHODS

Our analysis elaborated data from two local surveys, ICESmo2 (2006) and ICESmo3 (2012), and a national survey carried out in 2013 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)). A regression model was adopted to distinguish the effect of the crisis and the earthquake.

RESULTS

Our analysis confirmed the negative effect of the economic crisis on psychological wellbeing, but within the province of Modena such an effect resulted as even stronger compared with the rest of Italy, particularly within those areas struck by the earthquake.

CONCLUSION

Being hit by a combination of two major negative events might have a significantly increased negative effect on psychological health. The higher repercussion observed is not only attributable to the occurrence of a natural disaster but can be reasonably related to the additional effect of unemployment on psychological dimensions.

Impact of the Tunisian Revolution on homicide and suicide rates in Tunisia

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the impact of the Tunisian Revolution on suicide and homicide patterns in Tunisia.

METHODS

It is a retrospective, cross-sectional study, including all the cases of homicides and suicides that occurred during an 8-year period (2007-2014) in Northern Tunisia. We compared data before and after the revolution.

RESULTS

After the revolution, the number of suicides rose 1.7 times, with a prevalence rising from 1.8 to 3.12 suicides per 100,000 persons per year. Homicides rose 1.3 times after the revolution. For both manner of death, victims were mostly males, aged between 20 and 39 years, living in urban areas. Hanging and self-immolation rose, respectively, 1.8 and 3 times after 2011. We observed suicide cases most frequently occurred in public places and in front of public administration after 2011. Homicide victims' profile and circumstances showed a single variation which is an increase in number of cases happening in rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results proved a short-term impact of the transition period on homicides and suicides. Urgent preventive measures are needed especially to decrease the suicide rates.

Prevalence of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors at a semi-urban community, Pakistan

Introduction

Pakistan is currently facing the double burden of communicable (38%) and non- communicable diseases (49%) according to WHO NCD Country Profiles 2014. About 50% of all deaths are attributed to NCD's. The objective of this study was to determine the burden of non-communicable diseases in semi urban community of Islamabad.

Methods

We carried a cross sectional study to estimate the burden of non-communicable diseases in an urban setting, a community based cross sectional survey covering 1210 households was carried out over a period of three months. Households were selected through consecutive non-probability sampling, among which adult females and males who were permanent resident of the community were interviewed through a structured questionnaire in urdu language. SPSS version 21 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were calculated.

Results

About 38.7% individuals had High BP / IHD, 34.4% had oro-dental health problems, 24.3% were physically disabled and 14.6% had diabetes. Among the risk factors, 48.2% were tobacco user, 13.60% were drug abuser and 1.8% alcoholics.

Conclusion

We conclude that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases is quite high in the above setting as compared to the National indicators, which demands timely intervention to curtail the existing burden of NCD.