Trends and disparities in non-communicable diseases in the Western Pacific region

Abstract

The WHO Western Pacific region bears disproportionate deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with increased overall NCD proportional mortality over the past two decades. The disease burden of mental health increased, resulting from rapid ageing, enhanced stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was largely neglected. The highly diverse cultures, religions, political systems, socioeconomic contexts, lifestyles, and environmental factors probably have led to massive disparities across countries in NCD mortality, risk factors, and NCD management. Geographically, East Asia had the lowest NCD mortality whilst Pacific islands had the highest. Economic booms, ageing, nutrition transition, social stress, prevalent tobacco use, and fast-increasing obesity and hyperglycaemia are important drivers of NCDs. Men tended to have more adverse behavioural and metabolic risk factors. Rural residents are catching up with their urban counterparts in metabolic risk factors and conditions. Sustainable strategies tailored to NCD patterns are needed to fight the NCD epidemic and related disparities.

Keywords: Disparity; Non-communicable diseases; Risk factors; The Western Pacific region; Trends.

Fig. 1

Current status and trends of NCD mortality in Western Pacific region and its 37 respective countries/areas in the Western Pacific region. a. Status in age-standardised mortality rates due to non-communicable diseases by sex in 21 countries and areas in the Western Pacific region in 2019. b. Compositional NCD crude mortality by sex in Western Pacific region and 5 select countries, 2000–2019. c. Overall age-standardised NCD mortality by sex in Western Pacific region and 5 selected countries, 2000–2019. Data on mortality rates were obtained from the World Health Organization Noncommunicable diseases: Mortality (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/topic-details/GHO/ncd-mortality).

Fig. 2

Association between age-standardised mortality rates due to non-communicable diseases and potential risk factors in 21 countries and areas in the Western Pacific region in 2019. a. gross domestic product; b. Mean year of schooling; c. Percentage of the population aged ≥65; d. Current health expenditure; e. Prevalence of undernourishment; f. Energy use per capita. Data on age-standardised mortality rates were obtained from the World Health Organization Noncommunicable diseases: Mortality (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/topic-details/GHO/ncd-mortality). Data on the risk factors were obtained from the World Bank Open Data (https://data.worldbank.org). Each point represents one country or area, and countries and areas are colored by region. USD: United States dollars; HICs: high-income countries; UMICs: upper-middle-income countries; LMICs: lower-middle-income countries.

Fig. 3

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension in overall Western Pacific region and selected countries in the Western Pacific region. Data on the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension were obtained from the World Health Organization Noncommunicable diseases: Risk factors (https://www.whoi.nt/data/gho/data/themes/topics/noncommunicable-diseases-risk-factors).

Fig. 4

Major causes and drivers of increased non-communicable diseases in the Western Pacific region.^,, , , , , , , , , , , Describe the major causes and drivers that contribute to non-communicable diseases. CRD, Chronic Renal Disease; CVD, Cardiovascular Disease; DM, Diabetes Mellitus; HICs, high-income countries; HTN, hypertension; M, men; NCD, non-communicable diseases; PSD, post-stroke depression; W, women; WRP, Western Pacific region.