Household Clustering of Hypertension and Diabetes Drives India's NCD Burden, Finds NFHS-5 Study
India: A recent study led by Sarang Pradipkumar Pedgaonkar from the Department of Family and Generations at the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai sheds new light on how hypertension and diabetes tend to cluster within Indian households. The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, used nationally representative data to explore this growing public health concern.
While India has seen a rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes, little was known about how these conditions might affect multiple members within the same household. This research aimed to fill that gap by analyzing data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21), covering individuals aged 15 years and older across all 707 Indian districts. In this context, “clustering” was defined as having two or more household members diagnosed with the same condition.
The following were the key findings of the study:
- 14.9% of Indian households exhibited clustering of hypertension, contributing to about 50% of the country’s total hypertension cases.
- 7.7% of households showed clustering of diabetes, accounting for nearly 39.3% of total diabetes cases.
- Clustering was more common in wealthier, urban households.
- Households with a larger number of older members or individuals who were overweight or obese had higher clustering rates.
- Higher consumption of fried foods and fish was associated with an increased likelihood of clustering.
- Multi-level analysis indicated that community-level factors had the strongest influence on clustering.
- Certain districts demonstrated particularly high levels of clustering, highlighting the need for targeted and district-specific interventions.
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