Risk Factors of Non Communicable Diseases

Two-thirds of 2010 deaths worldwide were caused by non-communicable diseases with Cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus come on top of the causes of mortality. In 2008, 26.6 per 1000 female population deaths, and 46 per 1000 male population deaths in Saudi Arabia were attributed to non-communicable diseases. Data about the magnitude of NCDs among young population in the KSA are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors of non-conmmunicable diseases among female university students. Total coverage was carried out and a cross sectional study was done using the Arabic version of the WHO STEPs approach. The study showed that 3.1% of the students were current smokers, 61.7% were physically inactive, most of the students weren't consuming adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. The prevalence of overweight, mild obesity and sever obesity among the students was (28.6%, 15% and 3.1% respectively). 2.5% of the students had unacceptable fasting blood glucose level, 31.1% had unacceptable fasting blood cholesterol level and 33.6% had unacceptable fasting blood triglycerides. A significant negative correlation was found between the BMI