Female city residents are more vigilant in self-diagnosing health issues, including lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension, compared to men, data released by the National Family showed on Saturday. Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). .

The 2019-21 NFHS, conducted by the Union Department of Health and Family Welfare, is the fifth in the series and provides population, health and nutrition information for each state and UT as well as national figures.

The report says the percentage of women in the 15-49 age group who reported having diabetes, asthma, goiter or other thyroid disorders, heart disease or cancer was higher to that of men.

About 3.6% of women in the city self-diagnosed their ailments compared to 2.5% of men. Interestingly, the data shows that 1.2% of women diagnosed with asthma, 6.8% of women detected goiter or other thyroid disorders, while 0.6% of heart disease, while no men has self-diagnosed the aforementioned health conditions.

The report also revealed that whether it is diabetes, obesity, anemia or breast cancer, Chandigarh has the highest percentage of incidents of these diseases despite the relatively small population.

The recent survey also showed that around 30.6% of men in the city have high blood pressure, compared to 24% of women. The national averages for hypertension in men and women are 24% and 21.1% respectively.

Health experts believe that sedentary lifestyle and eating habits are reasons for the increase in diseases. The busy lifestyle, which has drastically changed eating habits, with people preferring junk food and packaged foods, has been credited with inviting serious lifestyle issues, doctors said.

Director of Department of Endocrinology at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Dr Sanjay Bhadada, said: “In Chandigarh, fewer women are involved in physical activities, compared to men, because they are responsible for office and household work. In addition, the nutritional level in women is low. For this reason, women are more susceptible to contracting a lifestyle-related disease.

“When it comes to disease reporting, men usually ignore hospital visits due to their work schedule and lifestyle. It has been learned that more men are involved in alcohol consumption and that they mainly hide diseases that occur due to alcohol consumption,” he added.