Screening as an Effective Mode of Prevention for Non-Communicable Diseases

Public Health Data
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#1

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are diseases that are not easily transferred from one person to another. According to Hunter DJ et al. (2013), about 41 million people die globally every year due to NCDs, with a significant 15 million deaths recorded in low and middle income countries (Sujha et al., 2018). In Nigeria, NCDs are the leading cause of death claiming the lives of 2.1 million Nigerians per annum (WHO, 2016).

Increased physical exercise, reduced salt intake, reduced tobacco and alcohol consumption, increased consumption of healthy foods and regular screening are some of the ways NCDs can be prevented. A 2018 WHO report stated that screening can reduce up to 80% of premature deaths caused by NCDs, placing it as one of the most effective modes of prevention. Regular screening helps in early detection of chronic diseases and would be instrumental in reducing the projected 52 million deaths by 2030 (WHO report, 2008).

With the burden of NCDs on the rise, what role would you play as an individual in reducing the burden of NCDs in your community? What are the necessary steps to be adopted by the government to prevent the increase in NCDs mortality rate by 2030?

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#2

Try to encourage people around me and in my community to as you said: increase physical exercise, reduce salt intake, not to consume tobacco and alcohol at all, and increase their consumption of healthy foods. Also, support causes that encourage these in the community. The government should champion and support these causes also.

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#3

This is great! One more person advocating for the reduced burden of NCDs. Glad to have you on-board!

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#4

The government can adopt organisation of free screening for various diseases which could also encourage members of our community to get screened. Alot of people do not because of financial reasons.
As an individual, i would raise awareness among the people of my community that good health is wealth , helping them that early detection can help the prognosis of many diseases.

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#5

As an individual I would educate the public to adopt healthy lifestyle modifications and encourage the government to organise free blood sugar tests and cancer screening programs.

#6

I will definitely encourage more people to go for regular check up, and sensitized against the idea of “What you don’t know won’t kill you”

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#7

Hopefully, we will get to see more government programs geared towards increasing the uptake of screening. As for you, I commend your efforts in helping to reduce the burden of NCDs.

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#8

Yeah, we hear that a lot ‘Ignorance is bliss’. Ignorance, in this instance is more of a burden to the society.

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#9

If its already a work in progress, this would prove to be quite helpful. I do hope to hear more about these programs.

1 Like