TITLE:
Lipid and Diabetic Profiles of School Teachers in Afghanistan Facing Food Insecurity and Their Association with Knowledge Relating to Healthy Lifestyle
AUTHORS:
Ahmad Shekib Arab, Keiko Nakamura, Kaoruko Seino, Shafiqullah Hemat, Mohammad Omar Mashal, Yuri Tashiro
KEYWORDS:
Food Insecurity, Afghanistan, Non-Communicable Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome, School Teachers
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.10 No.6,
June
27,
2019
ABSTRACT: Objectives: To investigate lipid and diabetic profiles of school teachers in Kabul, Afghanistan, who face food insecurity, and examine the association of those with the teachers’ knowledge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Methods: A survey to examine biochemical indicators of NCDs (triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference), food insecurity, lifestyle and knowledge of NCDs was conducted among 600 school teachers. Analyses were made of biochemical indicators of NCDs, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and subject’s lifestyle in relation to food security and the subject’s knowledge of NCDs. Results: Thirty-nine percent of school teachers experienced food insecurity. The percentage of TC ≥ 200 mg/dL; HbA1c ≥ 5.5%; hypertension and metabolic syndrome were 20.2%, 29.7%, 32.2% and 33.7%, respectively. Food insecurity was associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption and higher potato consumption. Food insecurity was associated with increased TC (AOR 2.03; 95%CI: 1.23 - 3.34), decreased HDL (AOR 1.70; 95%CI: 1.12 - 2.58), increased HbA1c (AOR 1.73; 95%CI: 1.14 - 2.64), hypertension (AOR 1.68; 95%CI: 1.01 - 2.80) and diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (AOR 1.78; 95%CI: 1.18 - 2.68), after adjustment by demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle variables. Among people living under condition of food insecurity, greater NCD knowledge was associated with smaller prevalence of TG ≥ 150 mg/dL, HDL Conclusions: Under conditions of food insecurity, diets have less variety and individuals are more likely to exhibit biomedical risk factors of NCDs. Even under conditions of food insecurity, people with knowledge of NCDs may have better coping strategies for their choice of lifestyles and exhibited a lower percentage of risk factors of NCDs.