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We investigated the prevalence of wheeze, self-reported asthma, and asthma care via four cross-sectional surveys among adults and children (5-15 years) in urban and rural populations from Tanzania and Cameroon. Age-standardized prevalence of current wheeze (in the previous year) was 2.2% to 5.0% in adults and 1.9% to 5.2% in children in Tanzania, and 1.3% to 2.5% (adults) and 0.8% to 5.4% (children) in Cameroon. There were no consistent patterns of urban:rural prevalence. Peak flow rates varied with age, peaking at 25-34 years, and were higher in urban areas (age adjusted difference 22-70 L/min) and in the Tanzania populations. Awareness (83%–86% versus 52%–58%) and treatment (43%–71% versus 30%–44%) of asthma was higher among those with current wheeze in rural areas. Use of inhaled drugs, particularly steroids, was rare. Diagnosis by traditional healers (15%) and use of traditional remedies (62% of those recalling any treatment) were common only among self-reported asthmatic patients in rural Cameroon.Asthma is an important clinical condition in sub-Saharan Africa. There were major gaps in clinical care, particularly in urban areas. Sustainable methods for delivering accessible and effective asthma care in sub-Saharan Africa are required.

A population-based survey in 1996 and 1997 of 770 adults (aged ? 15 years) from an urban district of Dar es Salaam and 928 from a village in rural Kilimanjaro district (Tanzania) revealed that the prevalence of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity was higher in the urban area for men and women. The difference between urban and rural prevalence of diabetes was 3.8 [1.1–6.5]% for men and 2.9 [0.8–4.9]% for women. For IFG, the difference was 2.8 [0.3–5.3]% for men and 3.9 [1.4–6.4]% for women; for overweight and obesity, the difference was 21.5 [15.8–27.1]% and 6.2 [3.5–8.9]% for men and 17.4 [11.5–23.3]% and 12.7 [8.5–16.8]% for women, respectively. The difference in prevalence of physical inactivity was 12.5 [7.0–18.3]% for men and 37.6 [31.9–43.3]% for women. For men with diabetes, the odds for being overweight, obese and having a large waist:hip ratio were 14.1, 5.3 and 12.5, respectively; for women the corresponding values were 9.0, 10.5 and 2.4 (the last not significant) with an attributable fraction for overweight between 64% and 69%. We conclude that diabetes prevalence is higher in the urban Tanzanian community and that this can be explained by differences in the prevalence of overweight. The avoidance of obesity in the adult population is likely to prevent increases in diabetes incidence in this population.

To describe the prevalence, detection, treatment and control of hypertension in an urban and rural area of Tanzania.