UPHIA 2025 assessment evaluated three major chronic non-communicable disease (NCD)

 The UPHIA 2025 assessment evaluated three major chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) indicators among adults aged 15 years and older: elevated blood pressure, overweight and obesity, and raised random blood glucose.

1. Elevated Blood Pressure (EBP)

• Overall Prevalence: 15.5% of all surveyed adults had elevated blood pressure (defined as systolic blood pressure $\ge$ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure $\ge$ 90 mmHg).
• Disparity by HIV Status: Prevalence was noticeably higher among people living with HIV (18.0%) than among HIV-negative adults (15.2%).
• Age Trends: Prevalence increased consistently with age, rising from 3.9% among youth aged 15–24 to 21.0% at ages 35–44, and peaking at 44.4% among adults aged 65 and older.
• Regional Variation: Rates ranged from a low of 7.7% in North East: Karamoja to a high of 19.8% in Central 1: South Buganda.

2. Overweight and Obesity

• Overall Prevalence: 24.8% of adults were classified as overweight or obese (defined as a Body Mass Index $\ge$25.0 kg/m²).
• Disparity by HIV Status: Prevalence was higher among adults living with HIV (26.8%) compared to HIV-negative individuals (24.6%).
• Age Trends: Rates climbed steadily with age to reach a peak of 38.0% among adults aged 35–44 and 37.4%among those aged 45–54, before declining to 23.3% in the 65+ age group.
• Regional Variation: Overweight and obesity showed the widest geographic divide of any NCD metric, spanning from 3.2% in North East: Karamoja to 40.6% in Kampala.

3. Raised Blood Glucose (RBG)

• Overall Prevalence: 0.9% of adults presented with raised random blood glucose (defined as $\ge$ 11.1 mmol/L).
• Disparity by HIV Status: Unlike hypertension and obesity, glucose levels were comparable between groups, standing at 1.0% among people living with HIV and 0.9% among HIV-negative adults.
• Age Trends: Prevalence rose from 0.1% among 15–24-year-olds to peak at 3.0% in the 55–64 age group, before dropping to 1.5% among adults aged 65 and older.
• Regional Variation: Rates were lowest in Mid North (0.4%) and reached their highest level in Central 1: South Buganda (1.5%).

Key Summary Takeaways

• Higher Burden Among People Living with HIV: Both elevated blood pressure and overweight/obesity were more prevalent among people living with HIV than among HIV-negative adults.
• Geographic Clustering: NCD indicators were consistently concentrated in the central and southern corridors, with Central 1: South Buganda, Central 
• 2: North Buganda, Kampala, and South Western reporting higher overall rates than other regions of the country.