Yadavannavar Mallikarjun C, N Bhoomika, Pattankar Tanuja P
Professor & Head, Department of Community Medicine, Bijapur Lingayat District Educational (Deemed to be University), Shri BM Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India.
Postgraduate, Department of Community Medicine, Bijapur Lingayat District Educational (Deemed to be University), Shri BM Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapura, Karnataka, India, Corresponding Author.
J Assoc Physicians India. 2025 Jul;73(7):60-63. doi: 10.59556/japi.73.1045.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), frequently called as lifestyle diseases, are a significant concern. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, NCDs are to account for >60% of all deaths occurring in India. The study aimed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of these diseases, dietary habits, physical inactivity, and behaviors such as tobacco use among the cooking staff of midday meals (MDMs) in schools and in finding out their overall knowledge, perception, and practices concerning NCDs such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
A cross-sectional study design was implemented with 290 cooking staff from schools in Vijayapura district, Karnataka. Their sociodemographic profiles, diet habits, physical activity, blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements were gathered using a prestructured questionnaire. A statistical test package for the social sciences (version 20) was used for the statistical study.
The study found that most of the participants (41.4%) were from 30 to 40 years age-group. Overall, 38.3% of the participants were overweight, while 24.1% were classified as obese. Hypertension was observed in 32.4%, and 10.7% of the research participants were prehypertensive. Diabetes was present in 3.4%, and 13.4% of the research participants were prediabetic.
Substandard dietary habits, blood pressure, and physical inactivity were seen as the most prevalent modifiable risk factors within these cooking personnel. Increasing knowledge of NCDs can be imposed to implement health promotion programs among cooking staff of MDMs in schools, aiming to reduce the economic and social burdens associated with NCDs.
非传染性疾病（NCDs），常被称为生活方式疾病，是一个重大问题。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的估计，非传染性疾病在印度所有死亡病例中所占比例将超过60%。该研究旨在全面评估学校午餐（MDMs）烹饪人员中这些疾病的患病率、饮食习惯、身体活动不足以及吸烟等行为，并了解他们对高血压和糖尿病等非传染性疾病的总体知识、认知和行为习惯。
在卡纳塔克邦维杰亚普拉区的学校中，对290名烹饪人员实施了横断面研究设计。使用预先构建的问卷收集他们的社会人口统计学资料、饮食习惯、身体活动、血压和人体测量数据。使用社会科学统计软件包（版本20）进行统计研究。
研究发现，大多数参与者（41.4%）年龄在30至40岁之间。总体而言，38.3%的参与者超重，24.1%被归类为肥胖。32.4%的参与者患有高血压，10.7%的研究参与者处于高血压前期。3.4%的参与者患有糖尿病，13.4%的研究参与者处于糖尿病前期。
不良的饮食习惯、血压和身体活动不足被视为这些烹饪人员中最普遍的可改变风险因素。可以通过增加对非传染性疾病的了解，在学校午餐烹饪人员中实施健康促进计划，以减轻与非传染性疾病相关的经济和社会负担。
