Socio-demographic and modifiable risk factors of diabetes and hypertension among resource constrained patients from rural areas in Mdantsane Township in South Africa

Background: Recently, developing countries have shown a dramatic increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The burden of NCDs in South Africa has increased over the past years resulting in an estimated 37% of all- cause mortality and 16% of disability-adjusted life years. Currently, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are the two most prevalent NCDs associated with the rapid increase in mortality. Objective: To demonstrate the socio-demographic and modifiable risk factors of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) among South African adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital serving the residents of Mdantsane. Relevant socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements, triplicate blood pressure, fasting blood glu- cose and lipogram analysis were obtained from 265 outpatients. Results: Multivariate anlysis shows that; salt intake, smoking, elevated triglycerides and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels were significantly associated with DM with adjusted odds ratio of 0.18 (p=0.002), 0.26 (p=0.048), 2.19 (p=0.006) and 0.38 (p=0.001), respectively. Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with hypertension with odds ratio of 0.03 (p=0.01) and 0.06 (p=0.006), respectively. Conclusion: The burden of DM and HTN on society can be drastically reduced with simple lifestyle changes, development of preventative strategies, large-scale screening and better disease management in South Africa. Keywords: Diabetes; hypertension; rural areas; Mdantsane Township; South Africa.