The effects of substance use on non-communicable diseases among older adults aged 60 and above in the North-eastern States of India

Abstract

Introduction The North-eastern region of India has a relatively higher prevalence of substance use, which together with poor dietary practices and a lack of physical activity is one of the key risk factors for NCDs among older adults in the region. Understanding the prevalence of NCDs and their relationship to substance use can help develop preventive strategies and sensitization in North-eastern India. Objective To assess the prevalence of NCDs and the strength of the association of substance abuse among the geriatric population of North-eastern states in India, for the development of preventive strategies. Methods Data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI Wave-I, 2017–18) were drawn to develop this paper. The bi-variate and binary logistic regression analyses were carried out to predict the association between non-communicable diseases and substance use adjusting select socio-demographic characteristics. Results The paper revealed the prevalence of NCDs among urban people (61.45%) is higher than among rural people (42.45%). Hypertension (37.29%) can be seen as the most prevalent disease among the following given NCDs followed by Diabetes (8.94%). The chances of having Cancer are nineteen times higher (OR = 19.8; C.I. = 18.82–20.83) if an individual has past smoking behaviour after controlling for socio-demographic and physical activity variables. Conclusion Since, the high prevalence of hypertension correlated with the high level of substance abuse, require immediate attention to develop appropriate intervention strategies for its control (substance abuse) and prevention of hypertension. In a lower middle-income country like India, preventive measures, rather than curative measures will be cost-effective and helpful.