Co-occurrence of non-communicable disease risk factors among adolescents in Jos, Nigeria

Background: The co -occurrence and clustering of risk factors for non -communicable disease (NCD) is a global public health concern. Aim: This study aimed to assess the co -occurrence and clustering of risk factors for NCDs among in -school and out -of -school adolescents in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Setting: Secondary schools and markets in Jos North Local Government Area. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 in -school and 377 out -of -school adolescents, aged 10-19 years of age. An interviewer -administered questionnaire was used to collect information on behavioural and physical risk factors for NCDs. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for comparisons at a 5% level of significance. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: Of the 754 sampled adolescents, 386 (51.2%) were females and 368 (48.8%) were males. Adolescents aged 10-14 years made up 37.8% of the participants, 15 to 17 years of age accounted for 46.9% and 18-19 years 15.3%. Risk factors with the highest prevalence were a sedentary lifestyle (94.2%) and an unhealthy diet (92.4%). Majority (97.2%) had two or more risk factors while 1.9% of adolescents had no risk factor. More in -school adolescents (24.1%) had two risk factors compared to 14.1% of out -of -school adolescents (p < 0.001); 14.1% of out -of -school adolescents had five or more risk factors compared to 2.9% of those in school (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Co -occurrence and clustering of behavioural and physical risk factors was found among both in -school and out -of -school adolescents.