Behavioural patterns of protective and risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To identify behavioural patterns of protective and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) and to explore the association between these patterns and sociodemographic characteristics. Design: Principal component analysis was used to identify behavioural patterns from a list of twelve protective and risk factors for NCD. Linear regression was used to explore the association between the patterns and sociodemographic characteristics. Setting: Participants from the Brazilian Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for NCD through Telephone Interviews (VIGITEL) from the years 2009 and 2010 were included. Subjects: A sample of 108 706 adults was included in the analysis. Results: Two behavioural patterns were identified in the analysis, a 'prudent pattern' and a 'risky pattern'. The first involved mostly protective behaviours, while the second one involved essentially the risky ones. Both the less prudent and the more risky behaviour patterns were concentrated in younger men, with lower education, from the more developed region. Conclusions: Public policies to decrease NCD should be aware of the possible tendency towards behavioural patterns in order to be more effective. Keywords Behavioural patterns Principal component analysis Brazil VIGITEL EpidemiologyNon-communicable diseases (NCD) play an important role in the morbidity and mortality of human populations both worldwide and in Brazil. According to the WHO, NCD were responsible for 58?5 % of all deaths worldwide and for 45?9 % of the global burden of disease in 2001(1) . In Brazil in 2004, NCD were the primary cause of 62?8 % of all deaths with known cause (2) . Furthermore, the proportion of deaths due to NCD in the Brazilian state capitals has more than tripled between the 1930s and the 1990s (3) . It has been estimated that in Brazil, NCD were responsible for 59 % of the total years of life lost due to premature death and for 66?3 % of disability-adjusted life years in 1998 (3)

Behavioral patterns that increase or decrease risk of abdominal adiposity in adults

“…That investigation showed results similar to those of this present study, where it was found that the behavioral pattern considered risk was defined by smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and regular intake of meat with visible fat (31). Therefore, strategies to control the increase in the prevalence of such risk factors in the population may be directed to these three factors, which have a tendency to aggregate.…”

“…Smoking was categorized into smokers, former smokers and non-smokers, regardless of the frequency and intensity of using tobacco (31). The abusive consumption of alcohol was considered as present when the intake of at least five shots in a single sitting occurred, based on the reference of the past 30 days for men and at least four for women.…”

“…The combination of risk factors such as smoking, alcoholism and inadequate food intake has been investigated in studies in Brazil (22,31) and worldwide (44,45). The prevalence of those three risk factors, evaluated by the cluster statistical technique in a Brazilian study, showed that 4.9% of men and 1.9% of women had the occurrence of those factors at the same time (20).…”

Patterns of health-related behaviours among adolescents: a cross-sectional study based on the National Survey of School Health Brazil 2012

“…According to the literature, violent behaviour, drug use and smoking are less socially acceptable behaviours among adolescents,9 and were captured by the problem-behaviour pattern, while the health-compromising diet and sedentary behaviours pattern brought together behaviours that represent harm to health but are not seen as unacceptable either by students or society, such as unhealthy food consumption and sedentary behaviour 9. Among Brazilian adults, drinking alcohol and smoking were found as part of a risky lifestyle pattern, together with lack of physical activity and unhealthy diet intake,8 in contrast with our findings among adolescents. Among adults, drinking alcohol and smoking are common and socially accepted, while they are contesting or rule-breaking behaviours among adolescents 9.…”

Food insecurity and nutritional status of individuals in a socially vulnerable situation in Brazil

“…In the current Brazilian epidemiological and nutritional context, conditions of overweight, obesity and non-transmissible chronic diseases (NTCDs) have been showing continuous progression, even among lower-income classes 5,6 . Therefore, identification and monitoring of the nutritional status of beneficiaries of social assistance programs, such as feeding and nutrition programs, becomes particularly necessary.…”