Economic burden and psycho-social implications of Non- Communicable Diseases on adults and their households in South-west Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), are associated with significant economic and psycho-social burden on sufferers. Objective: To compare the economic burden of disease management on adults with NCDs and control subjects in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Method: A total of 322 participants consisting of 165 adults with at least one of two NCDs - hypertension and diabetes mellitus- and 157 controls (without NCDs) were recruited by stratified random sampling method. The participants were evaluated for the economic burden and psycho-social implications of NCDs on them and on their households. Results: The presence of NCDs was associated with significantly higher psycho-social implication on the subjects including poorer patient-reported personal health assessment, higher frequency of hospital visits and longer average total hours of hospital visits compared to the controls. A significant proportion of subjects with NCDs depended on family supports for their hospital bills (32.7% vs. 7.6%). The total average monthly health expenditure among subjects with NCDs was significantly higher. Catastrophic health expenditure was found in 12.1% of subjects with NCDs who indicated their hospital bills were far higher than their total monthly wages. Conclusion: The management of NCDs is associated with significantly higher psycho-social and economic impact on affected individuals. There is a need for appropriate health insurance scheme and health system financing programs to reduce economic and psycho-social burdens, minimise long-term complications and improve quality of life.