Prevalencia de factores de riesgo comportamentales asociados a enfermedades crónicas no trasmisibles en senderistas colombianos.

Abstract

The practice of physical activity is especially important in the face of NCDs, due to its known beneficial effects on health and to prevent the development of these diseases. Objective: To analyze the prevalence of behavioral risk factors associated with chronic noncommunicable diseases in hikers in Colombia. Methodology: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, where the sample consisted of hikers participating in the XIX National Meeting of Hikers, Socorro, Santander held from July 1 to 5, 2021. The basic questionnaire of the WHO STEPS instrument was applied through the direct interview method. Results: The prevalence of physical inactivity was 3.36% (4.11% women, 2.17% men). Regarding harmful alcohol consumption, the prevalence was higher in men (22.22%) than in women (6.94%) with a statistically significant difference (p=0.018). Regarding smoking, 10.08% of the participants reported this risk factor (8.22% women, 13.04% men). When analyzing the low consumption of fruits and vegetables, 89.08% (87.67% women, 91.30 men) presented this unhealthy behavior. Conclusion: The prevalences of behavioral risk factors in the study population are lower than those of the general population. The order of prevalences, from highest to lowest were low consumption of fruits and vegetables, followed by harmful alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity.