Chronic non-communicable diseases

This chapter will examine the current actions, including lifestyle measures, for the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases within a South African context. It will also focus on the biological, behavioural and social determinants of health. Interventions and initiatives directed at primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases are also discussed. This chapter ends with recommended lifestyle changes, which can be taken to influence the adoption of healthy lifestyles, and therefore reduce the risks for chronic non-communicable diseases.Non

Presymptomatic risk assessment for chronic non-communicable diseases

The prevalence of common chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) far overshadows the prevalence of both monogenic and infectious diseases combined. All CNCDs, also called complex genetic diseases, have a heritable genetic component that can be used for pre-symptomatic risk assessment. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that tag risk haplotypes across the genome currently account for a non-trivial portion of the germ-line genetic risk and we will likely continue to identify the remaining missing heritability in the form of rare variants, copy number variants and epigenetic modifications. Here, we describe a novel measure for calculating the lifetime risk of a disease, called the genetic composite index (GCI), and demonstrate its predictive value as a clinical classifier. The GCI only considers summary statistics of the effects of genetic variation and hence does not require the results of large-scale studies simultaneously assessing multiple risk factors. Combining GCI scores with environmental risk information provides an additional tool for clinical decision-making. The GCI can be populated with heritable risk information of any type, and thus represents a framework for CNCD pre-symptomatic risk assessment that can be populated as additional risk information is identified through next-generation technologies.Comment: Plos ONE paper. Previous version was withdrawn to be updated by the journal's pdf versio

Understanding chronic non-communicable diseases in Latin America: towards an equity-based research agenda

Although chronic non-communicable diseases are traditionally depicted as diseases of affluence, growing evidence suggests they strike along the fault lines of social inequality. The challenge of understanding how these conditions shape patterns of population health in Latin America requires an inter-disciplinary lens. This paper reviews the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases in the region and examines key myths surrounding their prevalence and distribution. It argues that a social justice approach rooted in the idea of health inequity needs to be at the core of research in this area, and concludes with discussion of a new approach to guide empirical research, the 'average/deprivation/inequality' framework

AROGYA Intelligent Health Care Application

People of today pay less attention to their daily diet due to their busy lifestyles. Therefore, there is a great tendency to contract chronic non-communicable diseases. Furthermore, the lack of nutritious meals and daily exercise causes chronic non-communicable diseases in people with no age difference. In our first part, we developed to predict specialization in cardiology using symptoms. However, when we refer to a doctor, we must at least know what specialist should know based on their symptoms. In addition, there is a problem with the recipe. If the pharmacist has misread the prescription given by the doctor, patients can receive bad medications, leading to terrible side effects and even death due to careless writing by the doctor. As a solution, an application function can be proposed that will be developed in the project and the function should be able to improve the readability and intelligibility of the patient with prescription drugs. Therefore, the patient always knows the prescribed medications through the application to avoid the problem mentioned above. According to the 2016 pharmaceutical magazine, there are cholesterol and diabetic patients suffering mainly from chronic non-communicable diseases in Sri Lanka

Community Health Worker Program: Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Children

Abstract Background: Childhood obesity, asthma, and untreated mental health conditions, are three examples of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNDs) that pose a host of negative consequences later in life. Community health workers (CHWs) are in a unique position to address these negative health externalities by leveraging linguistic, cultural, and socioemotional connectedness within their communities. Local Problem: Minority children in the Central Valley of California, face additional risk factors for the development of CNDs. CHWs working in this area require enhanced training on CNDs to improve their practice. Methods: In partnership with Save the Children (STC), the University of San Francisco (USF) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student conducted five synchronous, one-hour, educational modules on pediatric CNDs, for CHWs, over a 3-month period. The goal was to achieve a 30% increase in CHW knowledge and self-efficacy from baseline to post-assessment. Pre- and post-test assessments were administered via Canvas™ online learning platform, and results were analyzed. Results: Results on pre- and post-intervention assessments for the pediatric CND modules, demonstrated average improvements ranging from 35% to 53%. This surpassed the initial goal of a 30% improvement. Conclusions: The educational modules led by the DNP student yielded significantly improved knowledge and self-efficacy among the CHWs. CHWs verbalized being able to apply this knowledge to concrete interventions with the families they serve. This intervention can improve CHW competence in conducting effective interventions to help community members appropriately manage pediatric CNDs. Keywords: community health workers, low-income, asthma, obesity, mental health, health outcome

Research needs for an improved primary care response to chronic non-communicable diseases in Africa.

With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) projected to become leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, research is needed to improve the primary care response, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This region has a particularly high double burden of communicable diseases and NCDs and the least resources for an effective response. There is a lack of good quality epidemiological data from diverse settings on chronic NCD burden in sub-Saharan Africa, and the approach to primary care of people with chronic NCDs is currently often unstructured. The main primary care research needs are therefore firstly, epidemiological research to document the burden of chronic NCDs, and secondly, health system research to deliver the structured, programmatic, public health approach that has been proposed for the primary care of people with chronic NCDs. Documentation of the burden and trends of chronic NCDs and associated risk factors in different settings and different population groups is needed to enable health system planning for an improved primary care response. Key research issues in implementing the programmatic framework for an improved primary care response are how to (i) integrate screening and prevention within health delivery; (ii) validate the use of standard diagnostic protocols for NCD case-finding among patients presenting to the local health facilities; (iii) improve the procurement and provision of standardised treatment and (iv) develop and implement a data collection system for standardised monitoring and evaluation of patient outcomes. Important research considerations include the following: selection of research sites and the particular NCDs targeted; research methodology; local research capacity; research collaborations; ethical issues; translating research findings into policy and practice and funding. Meeting the research needs for an improved health system response is crucial to deliver effective, affordable and equitable care for the millions of people with chronic NCDs in developing countries in Africa

TEACHER TRAINING ABOUT CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

O presente estudo teve por objetivo, identificar o conhecimento sobre doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT) e nível de Atividade Física de professores de Educação Física das três maiores escolas estaduais de Alegrete-RS, como também sugerir uma proposta de metodologia ativa para trabalhar com o tema em sala de aula. No estudo foi utilizado um questionário para avaliar o conhecimento sobre a associação entre fatores de risco e DCNT. A média de idade dos investigados foi de 45 anos, sendo quatro homens e cinco mulheres e a maioria foi considerada ativa fisicamente. Quando questionados sobre Hipertensão Arterial, Infarto Agudo do Miocárdio e Obesidade, a maioria respondeu afirmativamente sobre os quatro fatores de risco estarem associados; quanto a Diabetes Mellitus, a maioria afirmou ser causada por sedentarismo e má alimentação, havendo dúvida quanto ao álcool e negando que o fumo pudesse ser fator de risco; a maior divergência de acordo com a literatura foi relacionada as doenças crônicas: Câncer de Pulmão, Depressão e Cirrose, e os fatores de risco Tabagismo e Consumo Abusivo de Álcool. Considerando a literatura científica, é possível inferir que existe necessidade de formação continuada a respeito das questões referentes ao fumo e ao consumo abusivo de álcool e sua associação com DCNT. Desta forma, instigar o professor a buscar um conhecimento mais aprofundado e embasado cientificamente, auxiliará ao mesmo tenha condições de orientar e auxiliar na prevenção e promoção da saúde dos adolescentes/alunos.The objective of this study was to identify the knowledge about chronic noncommunicable diseases (DCNT) and Physical Activity level of physical education teachers from the three largest state schools in Alegrete, RS, as well as to suggest a proposal for an active methodology to work with the theme in the classroom. In the study, a questionnaire was used to evaluate knowledge about the association between risk factors and CNCD. The mean age of the investigated individuals was 45 years, being four men and five women and the majority was considered physically active. When asked about Arterial Hypertension, Acute Myocardial Infarction and Obesity, most answered affirmatively about the four risk factors being associated; as for Diabetes Mellitus, the majority claimed to be caused by sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, with doubts about alcohol and denying that smoking could be a risk factor; the greatest divergence according to the literature was related to chronic diseases: Lung Cancer, Depression and Cirrhosis, and the risk factors Smoking and Abusive Alcohol Consumption. Considering the scientific literature, it is possible to infer that there is a need for continuous training regarding issues related to smoking and alcohol abuse and its association with DCNT. In this way, instigating the teacher to seek a more in-depth knowledge and scientific basis, will help him to be able to guide and assist in the prevention and promotion of adolescent / student health