National and sub-national prevalence, trend, and burden of cardiometabolic risk factors in Iranian children and adolescents, 1990 - 2013.

BACKGROUND Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors are a major health threat at the global level, notably for developing countries. The tracking of cardiometabolic risk factors from childhood to adulthood is well documented. Therefore, more attention needs to be directed at primordial and primary prevention of NCDs. Given the high prevalence of NCDs and their risk factors in Iranian population, a study was designed to determine the attributable burden of cardiometabolic risk factors in Iranian pediatric population during past decades. METHODS This paper explains the definitions, organization, data sources, methods of data gathering or generating, data analyses, and the trend analysis of the study. A national expert working group addressed unmet needs and offered consultations on the selection of risk factors and the practical definition of disease. In the later stages, during the course of the study, they will supervise the statistical modeling methods, the interpretation of results, and the publication strategy. Also an international expert advisory group will collaborate with the project team. CONCLUSION The findings of this study could provide basic information regarding NCD related risk factors, and their burden and trends in children, which is necessary for health policy decisions to reduce the burden of disease and to plan cost-effective preventive strategies.