Noncommunicable diseases: current status of major modifiable risk factors in Korea

Abstract

A noncommunicable disease (NCD) is a medical condition or disease that is by definition non-infectious and non-transmissible among people. Currently, NCDs are the leading causes of death and disease burden worldwide. The four main types of NCDs, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes, result in more than 30 million deaths annually. To reduce the burden of NCDs on global health, current public health actions stress the importance of preventing, detecting, and correcting modifiable risk factors; controlling major modifiable risk factors has been shown to effectively reduce NCD mortality. The World Health Organization's World Health Report 2002 identified tobacco use, alcohol consumption, overweight, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol as the most important risk factors for NCDs. Accordingly, the present report set out to review the prevalence and trends of these modifiable risk factors in the Korean population. Over the past few decades, we observed significant risk factor modifications of improved blood pressure control and decreased smoking rate. However, hypertension and cigarette smoking remained the most contributable factors of NCDs in the Korean population. Moreover, other major modifiable risk factors show no improvement or even worsened. The current status and trends in major modifiable risk factors reinforce the importance of prevention, detection, and treatment of risk factors in reducing the burden of NCDs on individuals and society.

Keywords: Korea; Noncommunicable disease; Prevalence; Risk factors; Trend.

Figure 1

Proportion of current smokers among Korean adults aged 19 years or older. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 2

Proportion of people who drink at least once a month among Korean adults aged 19 years or older. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 3

Proportion of people who reported at risk drinking¹ among Korean adults aged 19 years or older. ¹At risk drinking: intake 7 or more drinks (5 or more in women) at least twice a week. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 4

Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity by quartiles of household income. Male (A) and female (B) adults aged 19 years or older. Obesity is defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m². Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 5

Proportion of people who exercise at moderate to high intensity (including walking) among Korean adults aged 19 years or older. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 6

Prevalence of hypertension among Korean adults. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 7

Age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension among Korean adults. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].

Figure 8

Trends in mean blood pressure level (mmHg) among Korean adults. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13]. SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure.

Figure 9

Age-adjusted prevalence of hypercholesterolemia among Korean adults. Modified from Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea health statistics 2011: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2). Seoul: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2012 [13].