MSU staff embrace healthy lifestyle to tackle diabetes, BP

VADODARA: Male employees of the MS University are fast embracing a healthy lifestyle to shed their flab after an on-campus study of 1,025 staffers revealed the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiac ailments, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases.

The study ‘Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with NCDs and Interventions To Control Them Among University Employees’ was done by the MSU’s MSU’s health centre and the Department of Foods & Nutrition. Teaching and non-teaching employees chosen for the study were those who have crossed 50 years and with a family history of chronic disease and obesity.

The study showed that the prevalence of NCDs among them was at 10.15% with a majority of them suffering from hypertension. Reema Patel, a master’s student, carried out the study under the guidance of Dr Sonal Mishra, medical officer of health centre and professor Annie Kurvilla of the department.

Following several counselling sessions and using awareness material, there was a visible change in the lifestyle of the employees. “They were consuming more fruits and vegetables, increased physical activity and reduced salt intake,” said Patel.

The frequency of consuming fruits daily increased from 36 % to 38 % and those having more than 150 grams of fruits increased from 18 % to 32 %. Similarly, vegetable consumption per day increased from 47% to 54% and adding extra table salt reduced from 41% to 30%.

The percentage of employees performing moderate-intensity sports or exercise increased from 34% to 50% and the daily number increased from 16% to 23%. Kurvilla said the interventions included counselling sessions in small group meetings, personal interactions, house-to-house visits, use of social media groups to continuously monitor the health status and providing weekly updates and suggestions.

Brochures on diabetes, heart care, obesity and healthy eating were also prepared and distributed. “Physical inactivity and unhealthy diets were the major risk factors for NCDs. After such interventions, there was a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure values and a decrease in HbA1c (three months of average blood sugar) values in diabetic employees. There was a major increase in the overall knowledge scores of employees on NCDs and its risk factors,” she added.

Mishra said the prevalence of NCDs was higher among non-teaching employees as compared to teaching employees and the number of males suffering from diseases was double that of females.

“NCD prevalence was lower among those university employees who did physical activity like walking and cycling daily as compared to those who did not. As compared to underweight employees, the prevalence of obesity was 50 % and obese employees were 8.34 times at higher risk of NCDs,” she said.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.