Editorial: Strengthening the Role of Child Health Providers in Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases

摘要

As per 2008 global estimates, Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 36 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide, mainly attributed to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary diseases [1]. The evidence indicates a high disease burden in low-middle income countries (LMICs), characterized by a younger age of onset, with 29 % of NCD deaths occurring among people under the age of 60, compared to 13 % in high-income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines NCDs as including chronic diseases (principally cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and asthma/chronic respiratory disease), injuries, and mental health. This does not include all chronic diseases, such as those of an infectious nature (HIV/AIDS, for instance) [2]. The common feature of these conditions is their chronicity, which requires new ways of thinking and approaches to disease management: from the perspective of the patient (who has to get used to living with a condition that is potentially lifelong and requires regular treatment) and the doctor/health system (that has to develop relevant expertise and multidisciplinary teams needed to provide such long term care). This is particularly relevant for LMICs where the focus so far has been on acute curative conditions which require a very different mindset. NCDs are largely modifiable in their progression through appropriate and timely preventive interventions beginning in early childhood through a lifecycle approach.