ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1672715
A comparative analysis of noncommunicable disease risk among adolescents aged 12 to 18 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, with regard to sex, school quantiles quintiles, and perceived stress
Provisionally accepted
- University of Fort Hare Faculty of Health Sciences, Alice, South Africa
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Word count: 241 Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing concern in low-and middleincome middle-income countries, especially among adolescents. Recent data indicate a rise in NCD cases within this group. Despite the increasing prevalence of NCD risk factors, limited research has explored the relationship between perceived stress and NCDs.To compare adolescents aged 12 to 18 years who are at risk for NCDs with those who are not at risk, considering sex, school quintiles, and perceived stress. .The study involved 266 adolescents selected through stratified random sampling from seven schools in two Eastern Cape districts. .Methods: It assessed anthropometric and physiological measurements and perceived stress levels. .Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, while independent samples t-tests analyses were employed to compare groups. Logistic regression was utilized to predict probability. .Results: Most physical and physiological assessments were normal, except for females' high BMI (24.52 ± 6.11), classifying them as overweight. Perceived stress did not differ significantly between at-risk and not-at-risk adolescents, but at-risk females reported higher stress levels than males. Physiological NCD risks were found to be more prevalent among females attending lower quantile schools, making them 4 times more likely to develop NCDs. Logistic regression analysis further confirmed that sex significantly predicted NCD risk, with females showing a higher likelihood of developing NCDs compared to males. .The study highlights a greater risk of NCD development among female adolescents, who also experience elevated levels of perceived stress. Recommendations to address these findings include specific strategies that reduce this population's risk factors.
Keywords: adolescents, metabolic risk factors, Non-communicable diseases, perceived stress, South Africa
Received: 31 Jul 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mathe, Van Gent and Van Niekerk. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Avela Mathe, avelamathe3@gmail.com
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