engleski

Do more behavioral risk factors increase the odds of having chronic diseases in young adults? A population-based study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the cluster association of behavioral risk factors with the presence of chronic diseases. Little is known of how these behaviors, presented as a cluster, are associated with chronic disease/s in young adults. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral risk factors (BRFs) clusters associations with the presence of chronic diseases. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 2100 university students (50.4% of women) were recruited from 8 randomly selected faculties in the City of Zagreb. The measurement protocol was conducted from September to November 2017. To assess the number of BRFs and chronic diseases, we used structured questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the associations between BRFs and chronic diseases. RESULTS: From the total sample, 9.3% of participants reported to have some kind of chronic diseases. In univariate model, logistic regression showed that having 2 (OR=2.63 ; 95% CI 1.59-4.34), 3 (OR=3.79 ; 95% CI 2.14-6.71) and ≥4 (OR=7.69 ; 95% CI 3.05-19.39) BRFs was associated with chronic diseases. After the adjustments for gender, self-rated health, sleep quality, socio-economic status, psychological distress and location of birth, having 2 (OR=2.34 ; 95% CI 1.41-3.87), 3 (OR=2.88 ; 95% CI 1.60-5.18) and ≥4 (OR=4.91 ; 95% CI 1.85-13.05) BRFs remained associated with chronic diseases. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that more BRFs are associated with a greater likelihood of having chronic diseases. Thus, special policies aiming to prevent ‘risky’ behaviors are warranted.

youth ; alcohol drinking ; obesity ; risk factors ; sedentary lifestyle ; tobacco smoking

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