Lifestyle changes pose huge burden on Non-Communicable Diseases

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a primary health concern for most countries around the world, and are mostly caused by one’s lifestyle changes. 

Larne Yusuf, a medical practitioner based in Lagos said cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases often referred to as ‘lifestyle diseases’ seen to spur non- communicable disease because they are mostly related to the way people live their lives and to some extent, surrounding environmental factors.

“One of the reasons these disease prevalence is becoming outrageous is because we are all changing our lifestyle of unhealthy diets (foods high in fats, sugar or salt), tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and physical sedentariness,” Yusuf said.

He cautioned that by healthy diet, exercise and avoidance of tobacco and alcohol, which are good lifestyle choice will help reduce an individual risks to NCDs.

He advised Nigerians to consume more vegetables and fruits and less sugar, salt and fats intake, as well as exercising to prevent and control these NCDs diseases.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), global  NCDs action plan 2013-2020 and the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals has set a target to reduce overall premature mortality by 25 per cent from NCDs by 2025 and reduce by 33 per cent overall premature mortality from NCDs and promote mental health and well-being by 2030.

The National Strategic Plan of Action by the Federal Ministry of Health on prevention and control of NCDs documented since 2015, states that inadequate funding of NCDs related programmes and activities, poor legislation and enforcement of laws linked to the prevention and control and a weak health system has been major barriers to tackling NCDs.

Unhealthy environmental conditions increase the risk of both non communicable and infectious diseases, which is reflected in the strong integrated nature of the goals, the policy document states.

Expert says this lifestyle of unhealthy diet has caused millions of Nigerians disease such as high blood pressure, overweight, respiratory diseases, high cholesterol level and it is a huge burden where Malaria, HIV/AIDS tuberculosis and other communicable disease are.