Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Metabolic diseases pose a threat to global health, showing a threefold increase over the last three decades. While India exhibits one of the highest metabolic disease rates, research focused on current lifestyle factors often neglects longer term social and environmental influences on human adaptation that may shape disease risk. This study aimed to investigate metabolic disease risk variation in India relative to regional geography, local ecology, population density, and lifestyle factors like diet. Utilizing data from the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5), I applied chi-square tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression to analyze variation in body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist circumference (WC), known risk factors for metabolic disease. Urban areas and high population density had a phenotype associated with greater metabolic disease risk. Significant variation was found across geographical regions and biozones. Seventeen predictors explained 39% of BMI variation, with wealth, sex, and education being prominent.
Author: Cherian, Sabrina
Institution: Western University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214272228