Public health priorities for the Gulf states.

Abstract

The newly established Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Gulf CDC) has to identify priorities to tackle in the first 2years of operation. A rapid situational assessment involving a selected sample of national stakeholders, an objective study of the strengths and gaps in the national public health programmes and a study estimating the burden of the main disease/risk factors were carried out. The findings of an objective ranking survey, followed by consensus discussion in an in-person meeting for senior Gulf states' experts, were combined with the evidence available from the previous three studies to result in a short list of the most pressing priority topics for the Gulf CDC to tackle. Both communicable (lead priorities: antimicrobial resistance and immunisation) and non-communicable diseases (leads: cardiovascular disease, then cancer, diabetes, and mental health) are the consensus priorities. Also, the risks associated with non-communicable diseases (high BMI, blood sugar, high blood pressure) and unhealthy lifestyle (poor diet, low physical activity and tobacco use) were also highlighted as top priorities to tackle.