WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Dr. Wasan Hadi Sahib* and Dr. Huda Ghazi Hameed

ABSTRACT

Background: Non-communicable diseases are a serious global health problem. They share risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing these diseases. A large percentage of non-communicable diseases will be prevented if changes in these behaviors occur in early life. Objective: Measure the prevalence of nine behavioral risk factors for non-communicable diseases (smoking, four unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, drug and alcohol abuse, and insufficient sleep) during 2024 and assess their association with sociodemographic features of students. Methods: A questionnaire was constructed to gather data among secondary school students in the AL-Najaf governorate. After gaining ethical approvals, a cross-sectional study was conducted to interview 354 students in 50 secondary schools. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Most common risk factor was Low fruit and vegetables in 98.31% followed by high consumed soft drink in 83.3% of students. The prevalence of most behavioral risk factors was high since 69.77% of the participants had 5-7 risk factors and shows statistical significance with age, residency, parents' educational levels, mother's job, and income of the student's family. Conclusions: The prevalence of most of the risk factors studied was high. Most participants had at least two risk factors related to non-communicable diseases, which were more associated with students' families' sociodemographic features.