Profile development of noncommunicable chronic diseases in a Brazilian rural town.

Objective: To assess the relationship between socioeconomic and anthropometric data, frequency of food consumption, and the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in patients from a small rural town in northeastern Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed on patients from the Lagarto City Hospital (n = 50) and from family health units (n = 370).

Results: The 420 patients in the study had one or more NCDs such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia.