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WHO: 9 out of 10 deaths in Western Pacific including PH due to noncommunicable diseases

Arra Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div>MANILA -- Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer &quot;now account for nearly nine in 10 deaths&quot;, based on the Health Statistics in the Western Pacific Region in 2023 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific. The WHO defines NCDs - also known as chronic diseases - as illnesses that &quot;tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors&quot;. NCDs are not transmissible directly from one person to another. This is a significant shift from the time when infectious diseases and injuries were previously major causes of illness and death, according to Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Western Pacific director of Data, Strategy, and Innovation. </div><div>&quot;The cause of this shift was, first, because of the success in the communicable disease control program, success in the immunization program, success in the maternal and child program,&quot; Park said in a press conference at the WHO Western Pacific headquarters in Manila. &quot;The increased shifting to NCD [is also caused by] ageing, increasing use of tobacco, alcohol, and then environmental factors,&quot; he added. Park shared they are focused on reducing premature death from NCDs, which has declined in the Western Pacific region by over 25 percent since 2000. Lifestyle and lack of physical activity have a lot to do with the increase in noncommunicable diseases. said Dr. Susan Mercado, Director of Programme Management. Social determinants of health should also be looked into, she said. &quot;The disintegration or the changes in the social life of people has had a big impact. So mothers, for example, instead of cooking fresh food, will buy instant noodles and not really have the time [to cook]. Or kids eating fastfood, or a dependence on vehicles and not wanting to walk... The whole lifestyle of communities and societies have changed,&quot; Mercado added. The WHO Western Pacific official also acknowledged the &quot;trend&quot; on the consumption of processed and ultra-processed food. &quot;The key factors here are what we call commercial determinants of health. There are industries and business that will continue to promote products and ways of life that go against health. The more obvious ones are tobacco and alcohol. But also, there is a trend towards consuming not just processed food, but also ultra-processed food,&quot; Mercado said. &quot;So that the diet is no longer diverse, it does not anymore contain the necessary naturally occuring food, minerals and vitamins that you find in fruits and vegetables, and so on. So this has been going on for two or three generations. And so we see with that the rise of obesity, and with that, so many other complications,&quot; she added.  ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO USE The WHO Western Pacific study also listed alcohol and tobacco use as major risk factors for NCDs. </div><div>&quot;Despite a decline from 7.2 litres per capita per year in 2015 to 6.1 litres in 2019, the overall increase highlights an ongoing concern for public health. Similarly, although tobacco use declined from 28.0% of adults smoking in 2000 to 22.5% in 2022, this was still above the global average of 20.9%,&quot; the region said in a press release. Dr. Hiromasa Okayasu, Director of Healthy Environments and Populations, is also concerned about e-cigarettes. &quot;We are really concerned about the emergence of a new technology, particularly what we call e-cigarette... In some countries, this is not considered to be a tobacco product... and regulation is quite loose,&quot; he explained. &quot;We are really encouraging our member-states to be aware about the potential harm of these new products. And then start sort of including them in the regulation or ban it if possible,&quot; he added. Okayasu stressed that the health sector must pay attention: &quot;that it&#x27;s not just to wait in the clinic and then hospitals, and treating diseases. But to proactively reaching out to the healthy populations, and then understand the situation and risk factors - and address these so that they don&#x27;t have to come to the hospitals.&quot; Another finding in the report is that countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region - including the Philippines - experienced the smallest decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other WHO regions. &quot;Life expectancy in the Western Pacific fell by only 0.07 years during 2020-21, a minimal drop compared to the global average decline of 1.7 years. The Western Pacific now has the highest life expectancy among WHO&#x27;s six regions, rising from 72.0 years in 2000 to 77.4 years in 2021,&quot; the WHO press release read. Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, led today&#x27;s press briefing, along with other officials From October 21 to 25, the WHO Western Pacific Headquarters in Manila will host the 75th session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific. Among the topics to be discussed are accelerating digital health transformation, strengthening health financing to achieve health for all, achieving transformative primary health care, improving oral health, and building climate resilience in health care facilities.</div>

Noncommunicable diseases have been on the rise in the Western Pacific region, which includes the Philippines, based on the 2023 Health Statistics released by the World Health Organization Western Pacific on Thursday.

Noncommunicable diseases have been on the rise in the Western Pacific region, which includes the Philippines, based on the 2023 Health Statistics released by the World Health Organization Western Pacific on Thursday.