Mapping and spatial analysis of hypertension and diabetes prevalence in the Indian environment: a synthesis of district-level geospatial evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64171/JAES.6.4.180-185Keywords:
Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Spatial Epidemiology, India, Non-Communicable Diseases, NFHSAbstract
Hypertension and type-2 diabetes mellitus are the two most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India and share overlapping environmental, socio-economic and behavioural determinants. This paper synthesizes evidence from district-level geospatial and spatial-epidemiological studies, most drawing on the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5), to map the spatial distribution and clustering of hypertension and diabetes across India. Using narrative synthesis of Moran's I, Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), Bayesian spatial modelling and spatial-scan-statistic findings reported in fifteen peer-reviewed and preprint sources, the review identifies consistent high-burden clusters in the peninsular coastal south (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, coastal Karnataka), the Punjab-Haryana belt and parts of the north-eastern hill states, and low-burden clusters in the north-western arid belt (Rajasthan, Ladakh). Environmental exposures, particularly ambient and household air pollution, alongside urbanization, dietary transition, tobacco and alcohol use, and household-level clustering, emerge as recurring correlates of these spatial patterns. The synthesis is illustrated with two summary tables and two schematic spatial visualizations. Findings support the case for district- and sub-district-level, geographically targeted NCD screening and control programmes rather than uniform national strategies.
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