Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Faculty Research Public Health

01 PREVALENCE OF RISK BEHAVIORS AND CHRONIC CONDITIONS IN VIRGINIA ADULTS WITH POTENTIAL FOR LEADING TO METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION–ASSOCIATED LIVER DISEASE (MASLD)

Pavithra I. Dissanayake, DO, Theresa J. McCann, PhD, MPH Corresponding author: pdissanayake@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

age groups and common chronic diseases among adults in Virginia. BRFSS is a yearly telephone surveillance conducted by CDC of adults age 18 to over 70. Numerous behavioral risk factors and chronic conditions were assessed. Many of them are related to, or predictive of MSLD. Several risk factors: Diabetes, Obesity, High Cholesterol and lipids, Hypertension, and low levels of Alcohol are indicators to diagnose liver disease, but have been missed in relation to MASLD. Results: In 2022, the prevalence of diabetes among Virginia adults was 12.8% (VDH website). Other selective results are shown below. SPSS data from 2022 provided further info on these metabolic conditions that are related to potential development of MASLD. The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the past 30 days was 54.2% 95%CI (52.8-55.7). The overall prevalence of overweight or obesity (BMI 30.0 - 99.8) was 54.2% 95%CI (33.8-36.6). By age groups, the prevalence of obesity was lowest at age 18-24, where it was 17.9% 95%CI (13.9-21.9) and highest at age 45-54, where it was 40.3% 95%CI (36.9-43.8).

Background / Context: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which affects approximately 30% to 40% of the general adult population, is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. (1) The new name, MASLD, is not routinely known partly because it was formerly called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are risk factors for its development. However, MASLD is not often diagnosed early, and may not be well known among primary care physicians. Objective / Hypothesis: “The definition of MASLD includes the presence of at least 1 of 5 cardiometabolic risk factors: overweight or obesity, prediabetes or diabetes, hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or high triglycerides” (2) The purpose of the study is to explore prevalence of common chronic conditions that may lead to MASLD and to describe how common they are in Virginia adults. Methods: We used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2022 to obtain

Conclusions: Our impression of the high prevalence in VA adults of diseases (NCDs) that could lead to MASLD is concerning. Limitations with BRFSS suggests urgent attention. Based on our data, potential impact of MASLD will be considerable. More data are needed to increase awareness and preparation of clinicians in the near future.

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