Weighing Up Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases in Athlete Students: A Cross-Sectional Study of Perceived Health Status

Abstract

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) disproportionately affect the population, showing higher prevalence in low- and middle-income countries, where more than three-quarters (31.4 million) of global NCD deaths occur. Each year, 17 million deaths in the population younger than 70 years of age are attributed to NCDs and 86% of these premature deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives: The purpose of the presented study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors of NCDs among the physical education and kinesiology students involved in different educational programs at ASIPCS and to demonstrate the dynamics of selected risk factors across different time periods.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed, which was the modified version of the Noncommunicable Disease Surveillance, Monitoring and Reporting instrument provided by WHO, and included 22 questions, of which only 4 contain general information, the others were related to risk factors for chronic non-infectious diseases.

Results: The analysis of selected risk factors among athlete students revealed that 80% of the respondents had at least one of the risk factor, and 34% had at least two risk factors. Risk factors for NCDs are prevalent among students and their percentage increases during the student years. Among the risk factors, particularly increasing shifts were observed in nutrition (breakfast, fruit and vegetable consumption), physical activity (inactivity, sedentary lifestyle) and weight (overweight, obesity). Positive dynamics are observed in smoking and sleep factors, revealing that girls smoke more in the 1st year and the number of smokers decreases by half in the 4th year.

Conclusions: The athlete students usually have better health indices than their peers. Additional research with a large number of participants is needed to confirm the dynamic changes in risk factors impacting the students.