Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are chronic medical conditions that are non-infectious. NCDs which include a cluster of illnesses (Diabetes mellitus, Cancers, Chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders) are increasing worldwide due to changing lifestyles and socio-economic status with significant contribution to the global disease burden. It is projected that by 2020, the largest increase in NCD deaths will occur in Africa which currently has a heavy infectious diseases burden. NCDs usually affect adults who are economically productive and bear enormous social responsibilities. The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of non-communicable diseases in the medical wards of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). It was a retrospective and hospital based study. The admission and discharge registers of the medical wards of UPTH from January 2013 to December 2016 were reviewed and NCD admissions extracted. There were 1096 cases of various NCDs constituting 57.7% of total medical ward admissions of 1898. The male to female ratio was 1:1.2 with a mean age of 54.40±21 years. Subjects ≥50 years of age accounted for 60.5% of total admissions. Diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine and renal systems were found to be the most prevalent accounting for 46.5%, 18.8% and 12.4% respectively of the NCDs in this study. Hypertension and hypertension-related complications, diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal failure are major and important contributor to NCD admissions in the medical wards of UPTH. Early detection, appropriate management as well as patient education will play significant role in reducing its morbidity and mortality.

Introduction: This analytic descriptive study investigated knowledge and compliance with prevention measures of cardiovascular diseases among health workers in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. Methodology: A sample of 608 health workers drawn from a population of 2500 health workers in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital using simple random sampling technique participated in the study. Eleven research questions were answered and six hypotheses tested in the study. The instrument for data collection is Cardiovascular Disease Questionnaire. It was vetted by the supervisor and three other experts in health education. The reliability of the instrument established through pilot testing using Cronbach alpha method ranged rom 0.67 to 0.89. Results: The results of the study revealed that; Health workers in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital have knowledge of cardiovascular diseases, their signs and symptoms, have knowledge of general risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, have knowledge of smoking, diet, stress and physical inactivity as risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. There is no compliance with cardiovascular disease prevention measures among health workers in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Gender and age have no influence on compliance with cardiovascular disease prevention measures while professional qualification influences compliance with cardiovascular disease prevention measures. Conclusion: It was therefore recommended among others that health workers in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital should check on regular basis their blood pressure, sugar and lipid level. They should show preference to healthy diets including fruits and vegetables and engage in periodic physical exercise.