Chronic Diseases in Adults Living in Rural Communities of China

Background: China is in a period of rapid urbanization and people living in some rural areas are experiencing dramatic changes in their ways of life.

Purpose: To determine the incidence of various chronic diseases and their risk factors, and to help develop intervention strategies for Chinese rural adults.

Methods: The population-based prospective cohort study was conducted in Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, China, starting in 2006. About 20,000 subjects aged 18 years or above were recruited and interviewed face to face. A total of 5 ml blood was taken. The study population would be enlarged to100,000 adults before the end of 2016. Main outcomes of the study included diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and tumors.

Results: The data showed high exposures to smoking, alcohol drinking and physical inactivity in these Chinese rural communities. The over self-reported prevalence was 5.2% for hypertension, 0.8% for diabetes, 0.3% for coronary artery heart disease, and 0.1% for stroke, respectively. In subjects who have objective measures, the prevalence was 24.8% for hypertension and 2.2% for diabetes. The incidence of diabetes was approximately 9.8/1000 person years.

Conclusion: This  population-based prospective cohort provides urgently needed information on chronic disease for  rural people with rapid lifestyle changes.

Keywords: chronic diseases, risk factors, cohort study, urbanization, rural China

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