What are Non-Communicable Diseases? 

Chronic or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are typically non-transmissible and slow to progress diseases of lifestyle. They account for over 63 million annual premature deaths worldwide. That’s more people than were killed in World War II, every year! 

What are the major types of non-communicable diseases?

According to the World Health Organisation, the NCDs that account for the highest number of deaths each year are cardiovascular diseases (17.9 million deaths), certain cancers (9.3 million deaths), lung diseases (4.1 million deaths), and diabetes mellitus (1.5 million deaths). The good news is that we can avoid most of these deaths if we change our lifestyle behaviours. Worth considering, isn’t it?

The four main NCD risk behaviours

NCDs are driven by the development of physical and physiological changes, including weight gain (which can lead to obesity), high blood glucose and cholesterol levels, high levels of fat in the blood, and raised blood pressure. These changes occur because of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors. While you cannot alter your genetic makeup, you can change your behaviour patterns and the resulting outcomes on your physiology (the chemical and physical processes in your body). 

Specifically, the four main NCD risk behaviours and the number of annual deaths accounted for by each are outlined below:

1. Excessive alcohol consumption: 3.3 million 

• This includes binge drinking (consuming more than 4 drinks for a woman and 5 drinks for a man on one occasion) and heavy drinking (consuming 8 or more drinks per week for a woman and 15 or more drinks per week for a man).

2. Cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke exposure: 7.2 million 

• This includes smoking one or more cigarettes per day. The higher this number, the greater the health risks. 

3. Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption: 1.6 million 

• This is classified as less than five daily servings (~400g) of fruits and vegetables or less than two servings of fruits (~160g) and less than three servings of vegetables (~240g) per day.

4. Physical inactivity: 4.1 million 

• This includes those performing no physical activity or not meeting the physical activity recommendations of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on 5 days per week or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise on 3 days per week.

Remember, NCD risk factors are behavioural and behaviour is changeable. Don’t wait until your doctor diagnoses you with a chronic disease - make a change today! 

The onus is on you.