Control Of Non-communicable Diseases Research Articles

Validating a Questionnaire for Community Participation in the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases

Validating a Questionnaire for Community Participation in the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases

Burden of noncommunicable diseases among children and adolescents aged 10–24 years in China, 1990–2019: A population-based study

China has hundreds of millions of children and adolescents aged 10-24 years, accounting for one-sixth of their total counterparts worldwide. We perform this study to clarify the priority of noncommunicable disease (NCD) control among youth in China via the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. The highest disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from NCDs among youth in China remain in mental disorders, while the most increasing incidence is from diabetes and kidney diseases during 1990-2019. Bullying victimization and high BMI are the top risk factors for DALYs from mental disorders and diabetes mellitus, respectively. The most substantial gender differences are found for alcohol use disorders among the 20-24 age subgroup, which is also the top risk factor for neoplasm DALYs. Targeted interventions for NCDs among youth in China should focus on high body mass, alcohol usage, and bullying victimization, providing crucial information for resource-limited settings across the world.

Integration of point-of-care screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension into the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Johannesburg, South Africa

BackgroundSouth Africa grapples with a substantial burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly type 2 diabetes (diabetes) and hypertension. However, these conditions are often underdiagnosed and poorly managed, further exacerbated by the strained primary healthcare (PHC) system and the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating NCD screening with large-scale healthcare initiatives, such as COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, offers a potential solution, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of this integration.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted at four government health facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa. NCD screening was incorporated into the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Participants underwent COVID-19 rapid tests, blood glucose checks, blood pressure assessments, and anthropometric measurements. Those with elevated blood glucose or blood pressure values received referrals for diagnostic confirmation at local PHC centers.ResultsAmong 1,376 participants screened, the overall diabetes prevalence was 4.1%, combining previously diagnosed cases and newly identified elevated blood glucose levels. Similarly, the hypertension prevalence was 19.4%, comprising pre-existing diagnoses and newly detected elevated blood pressure cases. Notably, 46.1% of participants displayed waist circumferences indicative of metabolic syndrome, more prevalent among females. Impressively, 7.8% of all participants screened were potentially newly diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension. Approximately 50% of individuals with elevated blood glucose or blood pressure successfully linked to follow-up care within four weeks.ConclusionOur study underscores the value of utilizing even brief healthcare interactions as opportunities for screening additional health conditions, thereby aiding the identification of previously undiagnosed cases. Integrating NCD screenings into routine healthcare visits holds promise, especially in resource-constrained settings. Nonetheless, concerted efforts to strengthen care linkage are crucial for holistic NCD management and control. These findings provide actionable insights for addressing the NCD challenge and improving healthcare delivery in LMICs.

Health literacy for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases–health sciences students’ perception

Abstract Background World Health Organization highlights the importance of health literacy development for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) prevention and control. NCDs were recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a major challenge. The aim of our research is to explore health sciences students’ perception on the role of health literacy, digital health literacy and NCDs risk factors, related to their prevention. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 210 first year students from the Faculty of Medicine and the Medical College in Medical University-Sofia, Bulgaria. An anonymous questionnaire distributed among students and all respondents participated voluntarily. Data was collected during January 2023. A descriptive statistical method was used to analyze the data collected. Results Among respondents the majority 83,7% stated that promoting health literacy is an approach to promote the prevention of NCDs while 88,2% of them considered very important or important the role of digital health literacy among medical and non-medical professionals for NCDs prevention. Data collected show that a significant percentage (81,5%) among participants reported the necessity of interdisciplinary initiatives as an action to promote health literacy. In addition, more training on NCDs risk factors was pointed as essential by 82,0% of the students. Conclusions It appears very important for the future health professionals to develop health literacy on and be familiar with the risk factors associated with NCDs. That could lead them to gain confidence, and be more effective in health issues related decision making. Special attention should be given the digital tools and instruments, as they can significantly contribute for the health literacy improvement. An interdisciplinary approach can provide the environment to optimize access to health information, and support health and well-being of individuals and communities. Key messages • Both health professionals to build capacity on health literacy improvement, and the population to directly engage, need interdisciplinary actions, focused on NCDs control and prevention. • The successful digital transformation of health services, requires digital competencies and skills. They are the major components for digital health literacy, that supports health and wellbeing.

How can public health agencies support the adoption of a population health management approach in PHC? The case of SVN

Abstract Slovenia has a longstanding tradition of providing accessible and comprehensive PHC services. Established in 1927, Slovenian PHC strongly emphasizes addressing health equity and reaching out to vulnerable populations in local communities to identify environmental, social and behaviour-related risk factors and diagnose disease in its early stage of development. Through a cross-sectoral cooperation based on a community based approach and a strong collaboration of public health and primary care services, Slovenia has improved health and reduced health inequality over the last decades. Registered nurses in family medicine teams conduct regular screening and follow-up for people with noncommunicable diseases to reduce family doctors’ growing burden and workload. Each family medicine practice has a list of registered patients (a capitation list), managed in defined groups of healthy individuals; those with risk factors; and those with the most common chronic diseases. Financial incentives are given for meeting target values in screening check-ups. The National Public Health Institute manages and leads the noncommunicable disease prevention and control programme at the national level.

Prevalence of major noncommunicable diseases and their associated risk factors in Afghanistan

Abstract Objective Afghanistan is dealing with a double burden of diseases and yet there has been no evidence synthesis of the scientific literature on noncommunicable disease (NCDs), thus this study fills the gap by systematically analysing the prevalence of four major NCDs and the associated risk factors. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies published since 2000, reporting the prevalence of diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), cardiovascular disease (CVDs) or cancer, and their risk factors in Afghanistan. Four online databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar) and two local peer reviewed journals in Afghanistan were systematically searched using the predefined keywords. Two reviewers independently screened and appraised the quality of the papers. Data extraction and data synthesis were carried out using tabulated template. Stata 13 was used to perform the meta-analysis. Results 58 articles included in this review of which 13 focused on cancer, 10 on diabetes, 7 on CVDs, 5 on CRDs, and 23 on any of the risk factors as primary outcome. Very few articles reported the prevalence of 4 NCDs in general population where cancer was reported 0.15%, asthma ranged between 12.5% to 17.3% and no evidence on CVDs. The pooled prevalence for diabetes, hypertension, and overweight were 12%, 31%, and 35% respectively. Central obesity was almost twice prevalent in females (76% vs 40%). Similarly, the pooled prevalence of smoking and snuff use were 14% and 25% in males, and 2% and 3% in females respectively. Conclusions Less evidence is available on the prevalence of major NCDs in Afghanistan, however, the risk factors for NCDs are prevalent across the country. The quality of the available data specially those of the local resources are poor, therefore, further research should be conducted to generate reliable evidences to inform the policy makers on prioritization of the interventions for the control of NCDs in Afghanistan. Key messages • The prevalence of NCDs is escalating in Afghanistan, and the local data show higher estimates of NCDs and their associated risk factors. • Prevalence of NCD risk factors is relatively high in Afghanistan, and considering the political emergency situation, if preventive measures are not taken properly, the burden of NCDs may increase.

Pengaruh pemberian media poster kesehatan terhadap minat remaja mengikuti posbindu PTM

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are still a health problem in Indonesia in recent years. Non-communicable diseases often go undetected because no symptoms are found, so they are difficult to cure or will end in disability or death. There has been an epidemiological transition by shifting morbidity and mortality rates from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases at a young age. The Indonesian government has created a program to overcome the problem of NCDs with the existence of NCDs Posbindu aimed at people over 15 years old who are still healthy and people with NCDs. There is a need to provide information using poster media regarding NCDs and NCDs Posbindu problems in adolescent understanding to prevent and control NCDs now and in the future. This study aims to determine the effect of giving poster media on teenagers' interest in participating in Posbindu at Ambarawa 1 High School. The results of the analysis showed that there was an influence of poster media on teenagers' involve in participating in NCDs Posbindu (p:0,001). The results showed a decrease in the average interest of adolescents in participating in the NCDs Posbindu by 3.15. This happened because adolescents objected to the implementation of the NCDs Posbindu, which was held one a month. Adolescents need to know that participating in Posbindu is an effort to prevent and control NCDs in the future. The data can be provided through cooperation between schools and community health centers that can involve existing extracurriculars and provide a better understanding of the importance of NCDs prevention and control efforts to adolescents, teachers and parents.

Sahel terrorist crisis and development priorities: case of financial allocations for the control of non-communicable diseases in Burkina Faso.

In Africa, nearly 46% of all mortality will be attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 2030. While the cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of action against NCDs, global funding for the prevention and control of NCDs is minimal. The objective of this was to explore the Ministry of Health budget allocations for NCDs from 2010 to 2020 as well as the effect of the terrorism crisis on these allocations. The methodology was based on the budget tracking tool developed by the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Twenty-nine budget lines related to the prevention and/or control of NCDs have been identified. About 29.9 million USD were allocated to the fight against NCDs with an absorption rate of more than 98%.There is an upward trend of allocated budget characterized by an exponential increase from the development of the national integrated strategic plan for the fight against NCDs (2016-2020). In 2017, an increase of 184% compared to 2016 was observed. However, the efforts were challenged by the emergence of the terrorist threat which triggered in January 2016, leading to a drastic reduction in allocations for NCDs in favor likely of defense and security priorities as well as addressing the needs of internally displaced persons. A trend analysis suggests that the NCDs budget significantly decrease as the country global terrorist index increase. Further analysis is needed to better understand the implication on NCD incidence, and identify advocacy opportunities for mitigating the negative impact of the terrorist treat on NCDs and other development issues.

Adoption of Electronic Medical Records for Chronic Disease Care in Kenyan Refugee Camps: Quantitative and Qualitative Prospective Evaluation.

Noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and control in humanitarian emergencies is a well-recognized need, but there is little evidence to guide responses, leading to varying care delivery. The Sana.NCD mobile health (mHealth) app, initially developed in Lebanon, is the only known mHealth tool for NCD management designed to increase care quality and coverage for providers in humanitarian settings. We evaluated a specialized mHealth app consisting of an abbreviated medical record for patients with hypertension or diabetes, adapted for a Kenyan refugee camp setting. We tested an adapted version of the Sana.NCD app (diabetes and hypertension medical record) in an 11-month (May 2021 to March 2022) quantitative and qualitative prospective evaluation in Kenya's Hagadera refugee camp. Leveraging the rollout of a general electronic medical record (EMR) system in the Kakuma refugee camp, we compared a specialized NCD management app to a general EMR. We analyzed secondary data collected from the Sana.NCD app for 1539 patients, EMR data for 68 patients with NCD from Kakuma's surgical and outpatient departments, and key informant interviews that focused on Hagadera clinic staff perceptions of the Sana.NCD app. The Hagadera NCD clinic reported 18,801 consultations, 42.1% (n=7918) of which were reported in the NCD app. The Kakuma EMR reported 350,776 visits, of which 9385 (2.7%) were for NCDs (n=4264, 1.2% hypertension; n=2415, 0.7% diabetes). The completeness of reporting was used as a quality-of-care metric. Age, sex, prescribed medicines, random blood sugar, and smoking status were consistently reported in both the NCD app (>98%) and EMR (100%), whereas comorbidities, complications, hemoglobin A1c, and diet were rarely reported in either platform (≤7% NCD app; 0% EMR). The number of visits, BMI, physical activity, and next visit were frequently reported in the NCD app (≥99%) but not in the EMR (≤15%). In the NCD app, the completeness of reporting was high across the implementation period, with little meaningful change. Although not significantly changed during the study, elevated blood sugar (P=.82) and blood pressure (P=.12) were reported for sizable proportions of patients in the first (302/481, 62.8%, and 599/1094, 54.8%, respectively) and last (374/602, 62.1%, and 720/1395, 51.6%, respectively) study quarters. Providers were satisfied with the app, as it standardized patient information and made consultations easier. Providers also indicated that access to historic patient information was easier, benefiting NCD control and follow-up. A specialized record for NCDs outperformed a more general record intended for use in all patients in terms of reporting completeness. This CommCare-based NCD app can easily be rolled out in similar humanitarian settings with minimal adaptation. However, the adaptation of technologies to the local context and use case is critical for uptake and ensuring that workflows and time burden do not outweigh the benefits of EMRs.

Health literacy in low- and middle-income countries

Health literacy (HL) is defined as a person’s ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information in order to make sound health decisions. It has emerged as a key determinant of health outcomes, more particularly in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Low HL has been associated with lower use of health-care services and poorer health outcomes, including increased morbidity and mortality. During the second meeting of the EMAC-AOC Group (Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases – Central and Western Africa), HL and NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) were discussed to explore options for interventional studies in sub-Saharan Africa on NCDs’ prevention and control. We reviewed how HL is defined, how it is associated with health outcomes and health inequities, and what instruments are available to assess it. Several published studies, systematic reviews, especially in LMICs, as well as national and international recommendations were discussed to explore potential approaches to improve HL in a study evaluating interventions for the prevention and control of NCDs in Africa.

Exploring health promotion efforts for non-communicable disease prevention and control in Ghana.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing public health challenge in Ghana. Health promotion can provide useful avenues to reduce the incidence of NCDs in the country. We used the Ottawa Framework to assess health promotion efforts for the prevention and control of NCDs in Ghana. Data were collected using key informant interviews and documentary sources. A content analysis approach was adopted for data analysis using Nvivo 11 Software. We found a strong policy framework for NCD prevention in Ghana with the ratification of several international protocols and resolutions and the development of national and specific NCD-related policies. Implementation of these policies, however, remains achallenge due to limited resources and the overconcentration on communicable diseases. Attempts have been made to create a supportive environment through increased access to NCD services but there are serious challenges. Respondents believe the current environment does not support healthy eating and promotes unhealthy use of alcohol. The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) program engenders community participation in health but has been affected by inadequate resources. Personal skills and education programs on NCDs are erratic and confined to a few municipalities. We also found that NCD services in Ghana continue to be clinical and less preventative. These findings have far-reaching implications for practice and require health planners in Ghana to pay equal attention in terms of budgetary allocations and other resources to both NCDs and communicable diseases.

S1-2 Findings from the children and adolescent working group project on whole systems approaches to whole school physical activity promotion across Europe

Abstract This talk will focus on a working group project investigating the research, policy and practice needs related to co-developing a whole-school system approach to physical activity (PA). The World Health Organization (2018) calls for all countries to implement a whole-system approach and positions school as an opportune site for increasing PA opportunities for children. Yet, current research reveals that most whole-school approaches fail to create impactful and sustainable changes. Consistent limitations include a focus on short-term initiatives that fail to address the many ingredients required to promote systems change through addressing organisational structure and culture within and beyond school settings. While contemporary guidance provides an in-depth understanding of “what” factors to address within the school, the system still lacks an understanding of “how” to address each factor required to create impactful and sustainable change. It is essential that the implementation of the different ingredients that form the school system are co-developed with multi-stakeholders from within and beyond the school environment. Project description To establish the research, policy and practice needs related to co-developing a whole-school systems approach to PA, this project includes three stages. First, we drew on an extensive European network to identify and categorise stakeholders involved in influencing and/or operationalising whole-school PA across the region. Second, we will conduct a needs analysis to systematically identify training needs. We will conduct six focus groups across Europe to gain diverse stakeholders perspectives on the required training needs aligned to capabilities, opportunities, and motivation (COM-B). Finally, we will be using the aforementioned insights to create a policy briefing on whole-school systems-based PA training needs. We will conduct two virtual stakeholder events to consult on the findings and gather further insights, offering contextual different within and between countries. Conclusion The policy briefing will provide recommendations for working across national contexts relating to school-based PA, providing guidance for policymakers and practitioners. We anticipate these insights will promote the development of bottom-up and top-down approaches to create ‘systems’ change within the school context. Funding This project is supported by the WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.

The Relationships between Social Capital, Metabolic, and Behavioral Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review.

Contextual risk factors such as social capital have a vital role in affecting behavioral and biological risk factors of NCDs. We aimed to systematically identify the relationship between different aspects of social capital (SC) with metabolic, and behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This is a systematic review. The period of study was 2000-2021. We searched the English international databases, i.e. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies that reported NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors as independent variables, were excluded. We also included studies if they analyzed the association between SC and metabolic and behavioral risk factors of NCDs. After the primary and quality appraisal process, 97 studies were entered in the final phase of the analysis. Five out of 18 studies reported an inverse association between SC and the level of alcohol drinking. Twenty-seven out of 32 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and smoking and tobacco use, while only one study reported a significant positive association. Nine studies reported a significant inverse association between SC and high blood pressure. Three studies showed a significant inverse association between SC and diabetes. Seventeen studies indicated a significant positive association between SC and physical activity. Thirteen out of 17 studies reported a significant inverse association between SC, body mass index (BMI) and overweight. High SC, people's participation and interaction are vital in tackling NCDs. Evidence shows positive effects of SC on prevention, control and improvement of NCDs' metabolic and behavioral risk factors.

Readiness and Motivation of ASHAs towards Their Participation in Non-Communicable Disease Control Programmein North India:A Cross Sectional Study.

ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activist)role is evolving beyond maternal and child health workers. They are engaged in NCD (Non-communicable Diseases)control activities. This study investigated their preparedness for this new task.The aim of the study was to assess the preparedness (knowledge, attitude, practices & patient navigation) of ASHAs in delivering community-based NCD prevention and control services under NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke)program. And the study also assessed the challenges faced by ASHAs in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities towards common NCDs. Cross sectional descriptive conducted in Delhi. Total 464 ASHAs randomly selected from 54 Primary Health Centres from 3 districts of Delhi. A self-administered, pre-tested, validated and piloted semi structured questionnaire was filled by enrolled ASHAs. It assessed their knowledge, attitude and practices related to NCD screening. descriptive statistics, chi square test and logistic regression analysis were used. Two-third ASHAs had moderate to good knowledge about NCDs. They had positive inclination towards NCD screening and risk mitigation. Their practices for hypertension and diabetes screening were adequate but common cancer screening practices were inadequate. Challenges encountered in performing these tasks were lack of appropriate referral linkages, minimal supportive supervision and no ear marked incentives. ASHAs showed willingness to work for NCD control provided they have optimum training, supportive supervision from their superiors, and screening facilities in functional state and appropriate incentives for the new tasks.

“75/25” Initiative for Hypertension: Setting Priority for Action

The epidemiological shift and the increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been of concern in recent times. Hypertension is the primary cause of 10.8% of all fatalities in India. The rapid increase in cardiovascular diseases, spurred on by poor lifestyle choices, is a serious concern. The increasing burden of chronic diseases is shown by data from the Indian Council of Medical Research, which assigns 61.8% of fatalities in 2016 to NCDs. According to data from the World Health Organization, NCDs account for 63% of fatalities in India, whereas CVDs account for 27% of fatalities. The National Program for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the India Hypertension Control Initiative are the main initiatives being used by India to tackle hypertension and NCDs. Effective management is hampered by low levels of awareness in rural regions, treatment compliance issues, health disparities, and challenges with data collection and monitoring. Government programs and active youth participation are acknowledged as vital components to lower hypertension and pave the road for a healthier future. The Indian government also supports expanding outreach to underserved communities, encouraging better lives, providing telemedicine options, and enhancing data gathering and research for battling hypertension.

Delivering Primary Health Care (PHC) Services for Controlling NCDs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. NCDs also increase mortality from COVID-19 and primary health care (PHC) services are an important component in the prevention and control of long-term NCDs. The main goal of the present study was to review primary healthcare services for the NCDs patients via primary healthcare network during COVID-19 pandemic. In this scoping review, Search engines including PubMed, Scopus, and Science-direct up to 1st February 2022 were searched to identify studies regarding primary care services for NCDs patients via primary health care during COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in our analysis. 24 studies were about the status and changes of primary health services for NCDs patients in PHC settings, while 18 studies focused on adaptive strategies used during COVID-19 in different countries including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Portugal, Georgia, South Africa, Thailand, Mexico, India, Kenya, Guatemala and Saudi Arabia. These strategies included remote monitoring, follow up, consultation, empowerment and educational services as well as home visiting Disruption of NCDs services in PHC during the COVID-19 pandemic was observed in different countries, which highlights the urgency of attention of researchers and policy-makers to development of appropriate and adaptive policies to improve PHC service coverage and its quality during the pandemics.

Comprehensive assessment of resources for prevention and control of chronic and non-communicable diseases in China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study aims to comprehensively evaluate the resources for prevention and control of chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in China to provide a reference basis for optimising the resource allocation...

Engaging with the Private Sector for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control: Is it Possible to Create "Shared Value?"

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of premature mortality worldwide. Corporate interests are sometimes well-aligned with public health, but profiteering from the consumption of products that are known to be the major contributors to the noncommunicable disease burden undermines public health. This paper describes the key industry actors shaping the NCD landscape; highlights the unhealthy commodities' impact on health and the growing burden of NCDs; and outlines challenges and opportunities to reduce exposure to those risk factors. Corporations deploy a wide array of strategies to maximize profits at the expense of health, including sophisticated marketing techniques, interference in the policy-making process, opposition and distortion of research and evidence, and whitewashing of health-harming activities through corporate social responsibility initiatives. There can be no shared value for industries that sell goods that harm health irrespective of consumption patterns (such as tobacco and likely alcohol), so government actions such as regulation and legislation are the only viable policy instruments. Where shared value is possible (for example, with the food industry), industry engagement can potentially realign corporate interests with the public health interest for mutual benefit. Deliberate, careful, and nuanced approaches to engagement are required.

Measurement of and training for NCD guideline implementation in LMICs: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionGlobally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality with an estimated 41 million deaths (74% of all global deaths) annually. Despite the WHO’s Global Action Plan...

Integrated primary care using a life course approach for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases: Indonesia’s perspective

An integrated primary care using a life course approach for preventing and controlling NCDs in Indonesia is the right policy decision. It strives to be holistic, addressing NCDs with a long-term vision across the critical stages where modifications can be made to minimise risks of developing NCDs. This policy direction is inherently complex mandating multi-sectoral and/or inter-sectoral approaches, as well as multi-disciplinary teams. Additionally, existing evidence suggests the intricate connections between health, social, economic, and environmental across the lifespan7. Taking a life course approach also means the governments must extend the NCD prevention and control measures beyond health sector alone. This means that effective implementation of an integrated primary care using a life course approach require long-term strategies to strengthening multi-sectoral partnerships to promote a life course approach across all government sectors and community systems.