Behavioural and biological risk factors of non-communicable diseases among adults in Cabo Verde: a repeated cross-sectional study of the 2007 and 2020 national community-based surveys

Objective The aim of the study is to estimate trends in the prevalence and associated factors of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors in adults from 2007 to 2020 in Cabo Verde.Design Population-based cross-sectional study.Setting Nationally representative samples of adult population in Cabo Verde from the 2007 and 2020 STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance (STEPS) surveys.Participants The sample included 1760 adults in 2007 and 3721 in 2020.Outcome measures Included fruit/vegetable consumption, low physical activity, sedentary behaviour, current tobacco use, hazardous alcohol use, diabetes, total elevated cholesterol, hypertension and overweight/obesity. Logistic regressions adjusted for sociodemographic factors were applied to estimate predictors of each of the nine NCD risk factors.Results Compared with participants in the study year 2007, participants in the study year 2020 had a significantly higher prevalence of low physical activity (adjusted OR (AOR): 2.21, 95% CI: 1.15 to 4.25) and overweight/obesity (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.26 to 2.23) and significantly lower rate of hypertension (AOR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.93). Low physical activity (AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23 to 2.10), overweight/obesity (AOR: 2.59, 95% CI: 2.10 to 3.20), current tobacco use (AOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.36 to 2.75), hypertension (AOR: 5.45, 95% CI: 4.24 to 7.00), diabetes (AOR: 8.40, 95% CI: 4.65 to 15.18) and elevated total cholesterol (AOR: 4.58, 95% CI: 2.83 to 7.39) were more common among the 50-64-year-olds. Being male increased the odds of current tobacco use (AOR: 3.64, 95% CI: 2.75 to 4.81) and hazardous alcohol use (AOR: 4.79, 95% CI: 3.15 to 7.27), and decreased the odds of low physical activity (AOR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.58) and overweight/obesity (AOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.56).Conclusions Of the nine NCD risk factors evaluated from 2007 to 2020 in Cabo Verde, two increased (overweight/obesity and low physical activity) and one decreased (hypertension). Several associated variables were identified for each individual NCD risk factor that can help in guiding interventions.