A Comparative Study of Cancer and Blood Sugar Levels Among Adults as Per NFHS- 4 and NFHS- 5 Surveys in India

Abstract

The comparison between the current state of these lifestyle disorders and the prevalence of adult lifestyle diseases including diabetes and cancer in India, as reported by NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Cancer is still the second greatest cause of death worldwide, despite recent advancements in technology and medicine. Northeast India has a greater cancer burden than the rest of the nation, according to a 2020 study released by the Indian National Cancer Registry. In India, an estimated 77 million individuals had diabetes in 2019, and by 2045, that number is expected to rise to over 134 million Program. In accordance with the 2020 WHO study, India had a 30% higher number of cancer-related fatalities (850,000 versus 610,000 deaths) while only reporting 1.32 million new instances of the disease, compared with 2.28 million in the United States of America. In the globe, cancer of the breast is among the most common carcinomas in women to be diagnosed, and it also ranks top in terms of cancer-related deaths. Around the world, the prevalence of cancer of the breast is steadily rising. The primary focus of this study is the high incidence of lifestyle illnesses in the adult Indian population, as measured by NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, including diabetes and cancer. Based on data from the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 Survey, we discovered that there are growing trends in the percentage of mouth cancer among males (both urban and rural), whereas there are declining trends in the percentage of cervical, oral, and breast cancer in the case of women.

Keywords

cancer - diabetes - NFHS - prevalence - hemoglobin

Introduction

Cancer is still the second greatest cause of death worldwide, despite recent advancements in technology and medicine. Countries with low or middle incomes (LMIC) bear a disproportionate share of this burden since they contribute to 70% of cancer-related fatalities.[1] In accordance with the 2020 WHO study, India had a 30% higher number of cancer-related fatalities (850,000 versus 610,000 deaths) while only reporting 1.32 million new instances of the disease, compared with 2.28 million in the United States of America.[2] [3] Furthermore, India has one of the greatest rates of rise in cancer mortality worldwide, rising by 2.48% a year between 2009 and 2019.[4] [5] India's very low cancer incidence and high death rate point to an underestimate of the real cancer burden in the nation, which may be caused in part by inadequate early screening uptake and underreporting.[6] [7] Northeast India has a greater cancer burden than the rest of the nation, according to a 2020 study released by the Indian National Cancer Registry Program.[8] [9] The high rate of cancer in Northeast India, where most people live in rural areas, is probably a result of a combination of factors, including poor health preventive efforts, restricted access to medical services, and increased exposure to risk factors for cancer, including tobacco use.[10] [11] 311,000 cervical cancer-related fatalities and 569,000 newly diagnosed cases of the disease were reported globally in 2018. Of these, 84–90% took place in low- and middle-income nations (LMICs), including Brazil, China, India, and South Africa.[12] [13] Malignancies of the lip, as well as every subsite of the cavity in the mouth and oropharynx, are classified as oral malignancies.[14] [15] Oral cancer (age-adjusted) has an incidence of four instances per 100,000 people worldwide, with a wide variation based on gender, age groups, nations, races and ethnic groups, and socioeconomic conditions. It is the 16th most common cancer and the 15th most common cause of death worldwide.[16] [17] In the globe, cancer of the breast is among the most common carcinomas in women to be diagnosed, and it also ranks top in terms of cancer-related deaths.[18] [19] Around the world, the prevalence of cancer of the breast is steadily rising. In 2018, ∼2.089 million women received a breast cancer diagnosis.[20] Belgium (crude pace: 113/105) and Australia (94/105) have the highest incidence rates globally and among the continents, respectively. Additionally, the most prevalent malignant tumor among women identified in Poland is breast cancer.[21] In India, an estimated 77 million individuals have diabetes in 2019, and by 2045, that number is expected to rise to over 134 million.[22] [23] Family doctors are essential in the nonpharmacological treatment of lifestyle problems including diabetes and cancer (diet, exercise, stress reduction, etc.).[24] [25] The comparison between the current state of these lifestyle disorders and the prevalence of adult lifestyle diseases including diabetes and cancer in India, as reported by NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. Four Survey Schedules—Household, Woman, Man, and Biomarker—collected the data using computer-assisted personal interviews in the local languages. The children's weight, height, hip and waist circumferences, levels of hemoglobin, arterial pressure, as well as random blood sugar levels for men and women over the age of 15 were all measured as part of the Biomarker Schedule.

Screening for Cancer and Raised Blood Sugar Levels Among Women and Men in India

In the NFHS-4 survey, information was gathered from 601,509 households, 699,686 women, and 112,122 men whereas in the NFHs-5 survey, information was collected from 636,699 households, 724,115 women, and 101,839 men.

[Table 1] shows that fluctuation in cervical, oral, and breast cancer (both urban and rural areas) in the case of women is decreasing and rising trends in the percentage of oral cancer among men (both urban and rural areas) from NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 Survey ([Fig. 1a] and [1b]).

Table 1 Percentage of screening tests for cervical, oral, and breast cancer among women and men in India as per NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 surveys

	NFHS-4			NFHS-5
Women	Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
% cervical cancer	25.3	20.7	22.3	2.2	1.7	1.9
% oral cancer	15.6	10.7	12.4	1.2	0.8	0.9
% Breast cancer	11.7	8.8	9.8	1.2	0.7	0.9
Men	Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
% Oral cancer	0	0	0	1.0	1.3	1.2

Fig. 1 (a) Shows the Prevalence of cancer among women as per the NFHS-4 Survey. (b) Shows the Prevalence of cancer among women as per the NFHS-5 Survey. (c) Shows the prevalence of BSL > 140mg/dl on medicine as per NFHS 5 survey.

[Table 2] shows that Blood sugar level (BSL) >140 mg/dl is associated with a rise in the percentage of women (5.8% to 6.1%), and a corresponding rise in the percentage of men (2.8%) and women (6.3%) with >160 mg/dl and 8.0% to 7.3% with >140 mg/dl BSL and 3.9% to 7.2% with >160 mg/dl. It was shown that the proportion of women in urban regions with BSL > 140 mg/dl fluctuates between 6.9 and 6.7%, while the percentage of women in rural areas rises between 5.2 and 5.9%. The percentage of males in rural as well as urban areas, on the other hand, decreases. In both urban and rural locations, the proportion of BSL > 160 mg/dl among men and women increases from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5.

Table 2 Percentage of raised blood sugar levels among women and men in India

	NFHS-4			NFHS-5
Women	Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
>140	6.9	5.2	5.8	6.7	5.9	6.1
>160	3.6	2.3	2.8	8.0	5.5	6.3
Men	Urban	Rural	Total	Urban	Rural	Total
>140	8.8	7.4	8.0	7.8	7.0	7.3
>160	4.4	3.5	3.9	8.5	6.5	7.2

[Table 3] shows that the prevalence of blood sugar levels in urban areas among women was found to be 16.3% and in rural areas (12.3%) whereas in urban areas (17.9%) and in rural areas (14.5%) among women. BSL > 140mg/dl in men was found to be more as compared to women ([Fig. 1c]).

Table 3 Prevalence of BSL > 140mg/dl or on medicines among men and women in India

	Urban	Rural	Total
BSL > 140mg/dl on medicine
Women	16.3	12.3	13.5
Men	17.9	14.5	15.6

Conclusion

The primary focus of this study is the high incidence of lifestyle illnesses in the adult Indian population, as measured by NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, including diabetes and cancer. Based on data from the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 Survey, we discovered that there are growing trends in the percentage of mouth cancer among males (both urban and rural), whereas there are declining trends in the percentage of cervical, oral, and breast cancer in the case of women. Additionally, it has been noticed there is the percentage of women in urban regions with BSL > 140 mg/dl fluctuates between 6.9 and 6.7%, whereas the percentage of women in rural areas rises between 5.2 and 5.9%. In contrast, the percentage of males in rural as well as urban areas decreases. In both urban and rural locations, the proportion of BSL > 160 mg/dl among men and women increases from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5. It was discovered that men's BSL > 140 mg/dl on medication was higher than that of women.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Author's Contribution

Amandeep Kaur wrote the main manuscript, Ranjeet Kumar contributed to the study design and reviewed the final manuscript, Sonakshi Garg and Hardik Kumar contributed to data collection, and Dharmendra Kumar reviewed the final manuscript.

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Publication History

Received: 12 July 2024

Accepted: 24 October 2024

Article published online:
18 December 2024