• Endrias Markos Woldesemayat, Andargachew Kassa, Taye Gari, and Mesay Hailu Dangisso.
• Faculty of Medicine, Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. endromark@yahoo.com.
• Bmc Public Health. 2018 Mar 14; 18 (1): 352.

BackgroundNon-communicable chronic diseases (NCCDs) multi-morbidity is becoming one of the public health problems in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of NCCDs and multi-morbidity among adult patients at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH).MethodsBetween January and February 2016, a cross-sectional study was carried out among patients aged ⩾ 18 years attending the outpatient department of the hospital. Trained nurses interviewed patients and reviewed medical records. Multi-morbidity was defined as the coexistence of two or more NCCDs in an individual.ResultsTwo hundred twenty seven (55.2%) of the respondents had at least one of the NCCDs and 73 (17.8%) of them had multi-morbidity. The commonest diseases that affected the patients were diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The risk of having NCCDs was highest among patients aged above 44 years (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.7, 95% CI 1.5-4.8). Non educated patients (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.7) and patients with high household income (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.5) and patients with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 25 (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.7) had higher odds of having NCCDs. Highest odds of multi-morbidity was observed among patients aged above 44 years (AOR = 4.4, 95% CI 2.2-8.8).ConclusionThe prevalence of NCCDs and multi-morbidity among the study population was high. Identifying and addressing modifiable risk factors; screening, treatment and follow-up of patients with NCCDs could help in reducing the burden of NCCDs multi-morbidity and its effect.

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