Non-communicable diseases: Air pollution a major cause

Air pollution is the primary reason behind a steep rise in non-communicable disease burden in India, showed a recent Assocham survey. Air pollution came out as the most prevalent risk factor among the surveyed population (76 per cent), followed by low physical activity (67 per cent) and imbalanced diet (55 per cent). These top three factors beat stress, tobacco consumption, obesity etc as risk factors contributing to NCDS. Prepared by Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), the survey reported that NCDS increase after 18 years and show a quantum leap when an individual crosses the age of 35 years. It found that more than two-thirds of the individuals suffering from NCDS are in the most productive-life age groups i.e., between 26-59 years. The survey suggested that the prevalence of having any NCDS among the population is 116 per 1,000 population in India. The state of Odisha was found to have the highest prevalence of NCDS (272 per 1,000 population) while Gujarat registered the lowest prevalence (60 per 1,000).