Back
 OALibJ  Vol.1 No.1 , April 2014
Epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases in Jamaica: Monsters Awoken from Lifestyle Practices
Paul Andrew Bourne1*, Cynthia Francis2, Charlene Sharpe-Pryce3, Angela Hudson-Davis4, Ikhalfani Solan5, Olive Watson-Coleman6
Show more
Abstract: Of the 57 million deaths that occurred in the world in 2008, 63 percent were due to chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), and the majority of those who died were women and elderly people. Objectives: To evaluate health indices of those in the retirement aged cohort and working aged cohort; to determine rates of comorbidity for those in the retirement aged and the working aged cohorts; to compute the prevalence rate of specific chronic non-communicable diseases and to calculate death rates for those in retirement aged and the working aged cohorts. Methods: Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) is a national cross-sectional probability survey that is conducted yearly by two governmental agencies in Jamaica. The current sample is 4313 Jamaicans who are either in the working or retirement aged cohorts from 2007 JSLC survey as well as death statistics from 2002 to 2008. Findings: In 2007, the prevalence rate of deaths that occur due to CNCDs is 50.7% (male, 45.2%; female, 59.5%); 12% of those in the working aged population indicate having an illness compared to 43.2% of those in the retirement aged cohort; 23.7% of retirement aged cohorts reported having diabetes compared to 15% of those in the working aged cohort, and those in the retirement aged cohort imply having hypertension 1.6 times more than those in the working aged cohort. The rate of comorbidity is 20.6% (retirement aged cohort, 27.4%; working aged cohort, 15.6%). The prevalence rate of those with CNCDs is 37.6% for those in the retirement aged cohort and 8.2% for those in the working aged cohort. Conclusion: It is imperative that age, gender, area of residence specific and culturally relevant policies be developed in order to effectively address these health matters without delay.
Keywords: Cardiovascular Diseases, Cerebrovascular Diseases, Health Indices, Non-Communicable Diseases, Retirement Aged Cohort, Working Aged Cohort
Cite this paper: Bourne, P. , Francis, C. , Sharpe-Pryce, C. , Hudson-Davis, A. , Solan, I. and Watson-Coleman, O. (2014) Epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases in Jamaica: Monsters Awoken from Lifestyle Practices. Open Access Library Journal, 1, 1-16. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1100282.
References

[1]   World Health Organization (2005) Preventing Chronic Diseases a Vital Investment. WHO, Geneva.

[2]   United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2010) Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. New York.

[3]   World Health Organization (2008) Global Burden of Disease 2004 Update. WHO, Geneva.

[4]   Unwin, N., Setel, P., Rashid, S., Mugusi, F., Mbanya, J.C., Kitange, H., Hayes, L., Edwards, R., Aspray, T. and Alberti, K.G. (2001) Noncommunicable Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Where Do They Feature in the Health Research Agenda? Bull World Health Organ, 79, 947-953.

[5]   Hospedales, C.J., Samuels, T.A., Cummings, R., Gollop, G. and Greene, E. (2011) Raising the Priority of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases in the Caribbean. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 30, 393-400.

[6]   Abdulkadri, A.O., Cunningham-Myrie, C. and Forrester, T. (2009) Economic Burden of Diabetes and Hypertension in CARICOM States. Study of Economy & Society, 58, 175-197.

[7]   Van Agt, H.M.E., Stronks, K. and Mackenbach, J.P. (2000) Chronic Illness and Poverty in the Netherlands. European Journal of Public Health, 10, 197-200.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/10.3.197

[8]   Bourne, P.A. (2009) Impact of Poverty, Not Seeking Medical Care, Unemployment, Inflation, Self-Reported Illness, Health Insurance on Mortality in Jamaica. North American Journal of Medical Science, 1, 99-109.

[9]   Echouffo-Tcheugui, J.B. and Kengne, A.P. (2011) Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Cameroon-Burden, Determinants and Current Policies. Globalization and Health, 7, 44.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1744-8603-7-44

[10]   Mathers, C.D., Boerma, T. and Ma Fat, D. (2009) Global and Regional Causes of Death. British Medical Bulletin, 92, 7-32.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldp028

[11]   Statistical Institute of Jamaica (1971-2013) Demographic Statistics, 1970-2012. Statistical Institute of Jamaica, Kingston.

[12]   Pan American Health Organization/Caribbean Community (PAHO/CARICOM) (2006) Report of the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development.

[13]   Mayosi, B.M., Flisher, A.J., Lalloo, U.G., Sitas, F., Tollman, S.M. and Bradshaw, D. (2009) The Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases in South Africa. Lancet, 374, 93-447.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61087-4

[14]   World Health Organization (2011) Global Status Report on Non-Communicable Diseases 2010. WHO, Geneva, 106.

[15]   Wilks, R., Younger, N., Tulloch-Reid, M., McFarlane, S. and Francis, D. (2008) Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2007-8. Technical Report. Epidemiology Research Unit, Kingston, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona.

[16]   James, J., Soyibo, A.K., Hurlock, L., Gordon-Strachan, G. and Barton, E.N. (2012) Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Eastern Caribbean Island: Prevalence of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases and Associated Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in the British Virgin Islands. West Indian Medical Journal, 61, 429-436.

[17]   Glassman, A., Gaziano, T.A., Buendia, C.P.B. and de Aguiar, F.C.G. (2010) Confronting the Chronic Disease Burden in Latin America and the Caribbean. Health Affairs, 29, 2142-2148.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.1038

[18]   Smith, S.M. and Mensah, G.A. (2003) Population Aging and Implications for Epidemic Cardiovascular Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ethnicity & Disease, 13, S77-S80.

[19]   Statistical Institute of Jamaica (2008) Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, 2007 [Computer File]. Kingston, Jamaica: Statistical Institute of Jamaica [producer], 2007. Planning Institute of Jamaica and Derek Gordon Databank, University of the West Indies [distributors], Kingston.

[20]   Bourne, P.A. (2012) Health of Children in Jamaica: The New Health Realities. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 66, 175-188.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0019-5359.114181

[21]   Shao, R. (2014) Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. World Health Organization, Geneva.

[22]   Bourne, P.A. and Charles, C.A.D. (2011) Hypertensive and Modeling Their Social Determinants of Self-Rated Health Status in a Middle-Income Developing Nation. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 5, 1-8.

[23]   Niakara, A., Nebie, L.V., Zagre, N.M., Ouedraogo, N.A. and Megnigbeto, A.C. (2003) Knowledge of an Urban Population about Arterial Hypertension: Prospective Study Carried out in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique, 96, 219-222.

[24]   He, W., Muenchrath, M. and Kowal, P. (2012) Shades of Gray: A Cross-Country Study of Health and Well-Being of the Older Populations in SAGE Countries, 2007-2010. US Census Bureau, Washington DC.

[25]   World Health Organization (2012) Good Health Adds Life to Years: Global Brief for World Health Day 2012. WHO, Geneva.

[26]   Yamada, T., Chen, C.C., Chiu, I.M. and Rizvi, S.W. (2013) Non-Communicable Diseases in Developing Countries: Causes and Health Policy/Program Assessments. Journal of Tropical Diseases, 1, 117.

[27]   Bourne, P.A. (2009) An Epidemiological Transition of Health Conditions, and Health Status of the Old-Old-to-Oldest-Old in Jamaica: A Comparative Analysis. North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 1, 211-219.

[28]   Bogue, D.J. (1999) Essays in Human Ecology, 4. The Ecological Impact of Population Aging. Social Development Center, Chicago.

[29]   Gavrilov, L.A. and Gavrilova, N.S. (2001) The Reliability Theory of Aging and Longevity. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 213, 527-545.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jtbi.2001.2430

[30]   Gavrilov, L.A. and Gavrilova, N.S. (1991) The Biology of Life Span: A Quantitative Approach. Harwood Academic Publisher, New York.

[31]   Charlesworth, B. (1994) Evolution in Age-Structured Populations. 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511525711

[32]   Medawar, P.B. (1946) Old Age and Natural Death. Modern Q., 2, 30-49.

[33]   Carnes, B.A. and Olshansky, S.J. (1993) Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Senescence. Population and Development Review, 19, 793-806.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2938414

[34]   Population Reference Bureau (2012) Today’s Research on Aging. Population Reference Bureau, 6, 1-7.

[35]   Puska, P. (2011) Non-Communicable Diseases—Neglected Diseases in Global Health Work? European Journal of Public Health, 21, 269-270.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckr052

[36]   Hunter, D.J. and Reddy, K.S. (2013) Noncommunicable Diseases. New England Journal of Medicine, 369, 1336-1343.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1109345

[37]   Phaswana-Mafuya, N., Peltzer, K., Chirinda, W., Musekiwa, A., Kose, Z., Hoosain, E., Davids, A. and Ramlagan, S. (2013) Self-Reported Prevalence of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Associated Factors among Older Adults in South Africa. Global Health Action, 6, 20936.

[38]   Nielen, M.M.J., van Sijl, A.M., Peters, M.J.L., Verheij, R.A., Schellevis, F.G. and Nurmohamed, M.T. (2012) Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence in Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis, Diabetes Mellitus and Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 13, 150.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-13-150

[39]   Callender, J. (2000) Lifestyle Management in the Hypertensive Diabetic. Cajanus, 33, 67-70.

[40]   Morrison, E. (2000) Diabetes and Hypertension: Twin Trouble. Cajanus, 33, 61-63.

[41]   Baldwin, W., Kaneda, T., Amato, L. and Nolan, L. (2013) Noncommunicable Diseases and Youth: A Critical Window of Opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Population Reference Bureau, Washington.

[42]   Burroughs Pe?a, M.S., Abdala, C.V.M., Silva, L.C. and Ordú?ez, P. (2012) Usefulness for Surveillance of Hypertension Prevalence Studies in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Past 10 Years. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 32, 15-21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1020-49892012000700003

[43]   Bourne, P.A., Solan, I., Sharpe-Pryce, C., Campbell-Smith, J. and Francis, C. (2014) Human Ageing, Mortality and the Role of Macroeconomics Variables in Determining Death at Older Ages. Epidemiology, 4, 144.
http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2161-1165.1000144

[44]   Ferguson, T.S., Tulloch-Reid, M.K., Cunningham-Myrie, C.A., Davidson-Sadler, T., Copeland, S., Lewis-Fuller, E. and Wilks, R.J. (2011) Chronic Disease in the Caribbean: Strategies to Respond to the Public Health Challenge in the Region. What Can We Learn from Jamaica’s Experience? West Indian Medical Journal, 60, 397-411.

[45]   Bourne, P.A., McDaniel, S., Williams, M.S., Francis, C., Kerr-Campbell, M.D. and Beckford, O.W. (2010) The Changing Faces of Diabetes, Hypertension and Arthritis in a Caribbean Population. North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 2, 221-229.

[46]   Orchard, T.J. (2013) The Changing Face of Young-Onset Diabetes: Type 1 Optimism Mellowed by Type 2 Concerns. Diabetes Care, 36, 3857-3859.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc13-1457

[47]   Narayan, K.M., Boyle, J.P., Thompson, T.J., Sorensen, S.W. and Williamson, D.F. (2003) Lifetime Risk for Diabetes Mellitus in the United States. JAMA, 290, 1884-1890.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.290.14.1884

[48]   Bourne, P.A., Francis, C., Sharpe-Pryce, C., Davis, A.H. and Solan, I. (2014) Diabetes, Hypertension, Arthritis and Other Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in an English-Speaking Caribbean Nation: A Health Perspective. Journal of Endocrinology and Diabetes, 1, 12.

 
 
Top