FOR THE GOOD OF OUR YOUTH

Preventing risk behaviours among young people is key to curbing the noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemic in the MENA region, according to a new report by the private, nonprofit Population Reference Bureau (PRB). An NCD is a noninfectious, chronic disease that lasts for a long period of time and progresses at a slow rate. NCDs, including the four principal ones – cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases – are the leading cause of death globally; in the MENA region, they accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths in 2015 killing 1.6 million people. ‘NCDs pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of populations, economic growth, and sustainable development throughout the MENA region. Their prevention among young people is crucial,’ says Toshiko Kaneda, a senior research associate at PRB and co-author of the report. ‘NCD awareness initiatives need to be driven from government and policy levels... If left unchecked, NCDs will continue to place a growing burden on healthcare systems and put many young people at risk of developing these diseases... during the height of their productive years,’ Kaneda adds. Risk factors include tobacco use, physical inactivity, poor diet and harmful use of alcohol, all of which are modifiable behaviours typically established in adolescence or young adulthood. Societal and cultural changes related to globalisation, urbanisation and economic growth are driving a rise in NCD risk behaviour among MENA countries’ large and growing population of young people.