Indoor air pollution is one of the world's largest environmental problems – particularly for the poorest in the world, who often do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.The Global Burden of Disease is a major global study on the causes and risk
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factors for death and disease. The study estimates of the annual number of deaths attributed to a wide range of risk factors are shown here. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the "change country or region" toggle.
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The course aims to cover the types of NCDs and risk factors, the challenges of delivering NCD services in primary health care, elements of WHO technical packages (PEN and HEARTS) for NCDs and how to
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adapt these packages in primary health care.
SEARO NCD PEN-HEARTS is a series of four courses with the other three courses focusing on NCDs interventions, diabetic foot care and palliative care that will enable the learner to plan and deliver NCD services.
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a growing public health problem in Ghana and other African countries. Strokes and other CVDs have become a leading cause of death due to increasing risk factors su
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ch as hypertension. According to the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD), ischaemic heart disease was the fourth leading cause of death in Ghana in 2016. The prevalence of hyper-
tension, a major risk factor for CVDs, is increasing rapidly and ranges from 19% to 48%, according to the Ghana Health Service Annual Report, 2017, due to rising life expectancy and the increasing prevalence of contributing factors such as overweight/obesity. Early diagnosis and adequate management of the risk factors can reduce the fatal consequences of CVDs.
At the heart of improving risk assessment and management of CVDs are nationally approved guidelines, which facilitate standardisation of care approaches.
These guidelines developed by experts from all levels of health care and stakeholders capture all recommended approaches and necessary information for clinicians and other healthcare workers on CVDs. They also serve as a practical guide for assessing and managing the most important CVDs prevalent in Ghana and can be used at all levels of care namely health facilities without a doctor; with a general practitioner and with a physician specialist.
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troke, a major Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), is responsible for 3.5% of disabilityadjusted life year (DALY) in India.Apart from risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and positiv
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e family history, other lifestyle related factors such as unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of physical activity, stress and tobacco use account for its occurrence. Changes in lifestyles, behavioural patterns, demographic profile (aging population), socio-cultural and technological advancements are leading to sharp increases in the prevalence of stroke. The disease by and large can be prevented by making simple changes in the way people live their lives or simply by changing our lifestyle.
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The World Health Organization's fact sheet on hypertension provides a comprehensive overview of high blood pressure, highlighting its prevalence, risk factors, and health implications. It emphasizes
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that hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide, with an estimated 1.28 billion adults aged 30–79 years affected, two-thirds of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.
The document outlines modifiable risk factors, including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use, and being overweight or obese. It also discusses non-modifiable risk factors such as family history, age over 65 years, and co-existing conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. The fact sheet underscores the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring, as hypertension often presents without symptoms, and highlights lifestyle changes and medications as effective treatments. Additionally, it mentions global targets aimed at reducing the prevalence of hypertension by 33% between 2010 and 2030.
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The materials focus on promoting healthy eating habits and reducing risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. They emphasize actions to limit sugar, sa
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lt, and fat intake, including policy recommendations for eliminating trans-fats, reducing saturated fats, and improving public awareness through education and labelling. These strategies aim to create healthier food environments and improve dietary behaviors globally.
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"Tackling Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), risk factors and mental health during the time of COVID-19" is a series of high-level strategic discussions on transforming the approach to noncommunicable
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diseases, its risk factors and mental health as a result of the pandemic in terms of strengthening health systems and services, responding to emergencies, investing to transform the NCD, RF and MH agenda, optimizing partnerships, among others, with a focus on big picture thought leadership.
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The course aims to cover the types of NCDs and risk factors, the challenges of delivering NCD services in primary health care, elements of WHO technical packages (PEN and HEARTS) for NCDs and how to
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adapt these packages in primary health care.
more
Limited research has examined factors associated with psychological distress following natural
disasters among non-Western child populations. Conditions associated with trauma-related symptoms following the 2004 tsunami in a sample of 265 Sri Lanka
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n child survivors (53.6% female, aged 3 to 17) were examined retrospectively. Multivariate regression analyses identified pre-traumatic conditions (female gender, prior health) and peritraumatic conditions (loss of family, complete property loss) as being associated with increased trauma-related symptoms. Findings can be applied to the identification of children most at risk of developing trauma-related symptoms following a natural disaster from a non-Western population to aid development of culturally-appropriate interventions.
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Document provides basic information on Hypertension (symptoms, risk factors, complications, treatment) in a descriptive way.
Objective: To conduct a landscape assessment of public knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors and acute myocardial infarction symptoms, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated ex
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ternal defibrillator (AED) awareness and training in three underserved communities in Brazil.
Methods: A cross-sectional, population-based survey of non-institutionalised adults age 30 or greater was conducted in three municipalities in Eastern Brazil. Data were analysed as survey-weighted percentages of the sampled populations.
Results: 3035 surveys were completed. Overall, one-third of respondents was unable to identify at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor and 25% unable to identify at least one myocardial infarction symptom. A minority of respondents had received training in CPR or were able to identify an AED. Low levels of education and low socioeconomic status were consistent predictors of lower knowledge levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors, acute coronary syndrome symptoms and CPR and AED use.
Conclusions: In three municipalities in Eastern Brazil, overall public knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors and symptoms, as well as knowledge of appropriate CPR and AED use was low. Our findings indicate the need for interventions to improve public knowledge and response to acute cardiovascular events in Brazil as a first step towards improving health outcomes in this population. Significant heterogeneity in knowledge seen across sites and socioeconomic strata indicates a need to appropriately target such interventions.
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Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor and contributor to chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, most public health approaches to NCD prevention focus on behavioural and biomedical
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risk factors, rather than environmental risk factors such as air pollution. This article discusses the implications of such a focus. It then outlines the opportunities for those in public health and environmental science to work together across three key areas to address air pollution, NCDs and climate change: (a) acknowledging the shared drivers, including corporate determinants; (b) taking a ‘co-benefits’ approach to NCD prevention; and (c) expanding prevention research and evaluation methods through investing in systems thinking and intersectoral, cross-disciplinary collaborations.
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The IHME webpage discusses alcohol use as a significant global health risk, responsible for over 1.8 million deaths annually. It highlights age-related differences in alcohol's health impacts, with no benefits for individuals aged 15–39 and potent
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ial small benefits for those aged 40 and above under certain conditions. The page emphasizes the need to consider factors like age, disease patterns, and individual health in assessing alcohol-related risks.
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The article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It highlights that COPD is
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a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the region, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.7% to 24.8% and an average pooled prevalence of 8%. The analysis points out that smoking, exposure to biomass smoke, and age are key risk factors. The study emphasizes the need for improved diagnosis and awareness, as COPD often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in SSA. The authors call for coordinated efforts from clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to address these issues and reduce exposure to preventable risk factors.
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Good mental health is integral to human health and well being. A person’s mental health and many common mental disorders are shaped by various social, economic, and physical environments operating at different stages of life. Risk
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factors for many common mental disorders are heavily associated with social inequalities, whereby the greater the inequality the higher the inequality in risk.
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Policy Brief | April 2015 | This brief accompanies the data sheet, Addressing Risk Factors for Noncommunicable Diseases Among Young People in Africa: Key to Prevention and Sustainable Development, a
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nd its data appendix, which provide all available country-specific data on four key NCD risk factors among young people in Africa since 2004. These publications extend an earlier publication, Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Among Young People in Africa: Data Availability and Sources. All are available at www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2015/ncd-risk-youth-africa.aspx.
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Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine | The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors for stillbirth and neonatal death and change in perinata
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l outcomes after the introduction of helping Babies Breathe Quality Improvement Cycle in Nepal.
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Accessed online January 2019 | PTSD: National Center for PTSD | This article provides information regarding what events cause PTSD in children, how many children develop PTSD, risk factors associate
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d with PTSD, what PTSD looks like in children, other effects of trauma on children, and treatments for PTSD.
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HEARTS provides a set of locally adaptable tools for strengthening the
management of CVD in primary health care.
HEARTS is designed to enhance implementation of WHO PEN by providing:
• operational guidance on further integrating CVD management
• technical guidance on evaluating the impact of
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CVD care on patient outcomes.
For countries not using WHO PEN, CVD management can still be integrated into
primary health care. The process of implementing HEARTS will vary, depending
on country context, and may require a significant reorienting and strengthening
of the health system. At some sites, existing CVD management services may be
reoriented toward a risk-based approach, while other sites may adopt a public
health approach, strengthening management of particular risk factors such as
hypertension. Whether or not introducing CVD management into primary care is a
new intervention, successful implementation will require engagement with national and local health planners, managers, service providers, and other stakeholders.
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Did you know that public health interventions that engage community health workers (CHWs) can help people manage risk factors and prevent cardiovascular disease, as well as reduce health disparities
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? The Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) recommends interventions that engage CHWs to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD).
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