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Abstract Introduction It is estimated that 1.3 billion people in the world have hypertension and a large proportion of them are unaware. Waist circumference has emerged as Potential predictor of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) risk; however, fewer studies in Tanzania have evaluated its role in screening for CVD risk. This study aimed to determine the role of waist circumference in screening for hypertension, a major risk for CVD. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Manzese ward, Dar es Salaam, from August to September 2023. Adults who attended a screening campaign were systematically randomly sampled. Data were collected using WHO STEPwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance questionnaire. The relationship between waist circumference and hypertension was analyzed using a Modified Poisson regression model with robust standard errors. Results Among 561 participants screened, 70.4% were female, with a median age of 47 years (IQR: 34–58). The overall prevalence of hypertension was 45.8% (95% Confidence interval [CI]: 41.7–49.9). Those with elevated waist circumference had a 34% higher likelihood of hypertension (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03–1.73, P = 0.027). Participants aged 35 and above were 160% more likely to be hypertensive (aPR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.79–3.78, P

Abstract Background Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) among Police Officers has been a concern to many professionals in the field of health, research and criminal justice since their work is subjected to higher levels of stress and hence more likely to use alcohol or tobacco as a coping mechanism. However, little is known about SUDs among Police Officers in Tanzania. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence and factors associated with SUDs among Police Officers in urban Tanzania. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and October 2019 among Police Officers in Dar es Salaam. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. The WHO-Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) version 3.0 was used to measure potential SUDs. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to establish associations between potential SUDs and predictors of interest, and an alpha of 5% was used in sample size calculation. Results A total of 497 participants were enrolled, of these, 76.6% (376/491) were males, the median age (years) and IQR was 37.0 (30.0, 47.0). The prevalence of past three months use of alcohol and tobacco were 31.3% and 6.3%, respectively. About 13.3% (62/468) and 6.2% (29/468) of Police Officers met criteria for potential Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and potential Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD) respectively. In adjusted analysis, participants with depression had about two times increased odds for potential AUD (aOR: 2.27, 95% CI; 1.12 – 4.58, p = 0.023) than those with no depression. Potential AUD and depression were associated with about eight times (aOR: 8.03, 95% CI; 3.52 – 18.28, p