ABSTRACT
Noncommunicable diseases [NCDs] are a growing public health challenge. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of common risk factors for NCDs among the adult population an urban setting in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan. In a randomized, cluster sample survey of households the WHO STEPwise method was modified and used to collect demographic, behavioural and clinical data from 1200 adults [61% females] in Jalalabad in 2013. Blood samples were collected for biochemical testing. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, diabetes and hypertension were 57.4%, 11.4% and 24.4% respectively. Among respondents, 8.0% reported being current cigarette smokers and 13.7% used mouth snuff; 69.8% and 19.6% had < 3 servings of fruits and of vegetables respectively in a week; and 33.5% and 57.8% reported vigorous and moderate physical activity respectively. Tailored interventions on risk factors of NCDs are needed in urban areas in Afghanistan
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Epidemiology , Risk Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
At the end of March 2010 an A/H1N1 vaccination campaign was conducted in Afghanistan using donated vaccines. However, no surveillance system for detection of adverse events following immunization was in place. We report a cross-sectional, descriptive survey in 4 provinces of Afghanistan to assess the rate of adverse events among health care staff immunized with A/H1N1 monovalent vaccine 4 weeks after vaccination. Using random sampling proportionate to size, 350 staff [mean age 36 years, range 16-65 years] were surveyed using a questionnaire. The highest self-reported rates of adverse events were pain at the injection site [53%], fever in the first 3 days after immunization [40%], body pain [39%], tiredness [33%], swelling at the injection site [29%] and redness at the injection site [28%]. More females than males suffered adverse reactions and the rates varied across different provinces, ranging from 79% in Balkh to 23% in Kabul