Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. NCDs are both a health burden and an economic burden, but many can be prevented by public health interventions that include screening and treatment. The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of NCDs pre-diabetes, suspected diabetes, hypertension and high total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, as well as the prevalence of high cardiovascular risk (CVR) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The secondary objective was to assess modifiable risk factors for NCDs and investigate correlations between these risk factors and age, sex and emirate of residence. DESIGN: A health screening programme (HSP) for the early detection and treatment of NCDs was launched in 2021 to screen, diagnose and treat NCDs. This retrospective cross-sectional study analysed HSP data collected from April 2021 to December 2023. SETTING: Primary healthcare centres in the UAE. PARTICIPANTS: 34 290 participants in the HSP who were screened for the first time. RESULTS: Of the participants, 60.4% were female, and 51.8% were 18-39 years old. Pre-diabetes was found in 17.3% (95% CI, 16.9% to 17.7%), suspected diabetes type 2 in 6.1% (95% CI, 5.8 to 6.3), hypertension in 13.9% (95% CI, 13.5% to 14.3%), and high TC/HDL ratio in 8.1% (95% CI, 7.8% to 8.4%). A high CVR was found in 11.5% (95% CI, 11.1% to 11.8%) of overall participants and 52.5% (95% CI, 50.5% to 54.5%) of people with diabetes. The OR of high CVR was 11.95 for suspected diabetics. Modifiable risk factors, such as smoking, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, were all associated with age and sex; in addition, age and sex interacted in their effect on these factors. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of the four NCDs and high CVR was high in the northern emirates. High CVR was especially common among people with diabetes. A large majority of participants had one or more modifiable risk factors. Age, sex and their interaction correlated strongly with the modifiable risk factors. These results can guide the introduction of specialised preventive and curative services to enhance public health and well-being.