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Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10450

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bin Zhu

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Guest Editor

School of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: health policy; spatial statistics; disease burden

Dr. Hao Xue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions, Stanford University, 616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Interests: health policy; primary care quality; human capital

Dr. Chih-Wei Hsieh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Public Policy, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Interests: public policy; workplace wellness; workforce diversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a Special Issue on Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes articles and communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. For detailed information on the journal, we refer you to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph.

Chronic diseases are the largest cause of death in the world, and smoking, harmful alcohol use, poor nutrition and physical inactivity are causing a massive increase in these diseases, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer and diabetes. The global economic burden of these illnesses is staggering. According to the World Economic Forum, treating NCDs will cost the world USD 30 trillion by 2030. Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence to quantify health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, allowing policy makers to understand how the chronic burden challenges are shifting over time. In addition to GBD, global researchers have also explored the burden of specific chronic diseases in their countries from national and state perspectives.

Despite growing evidence of the epidemiological and economic impact of these diseases, the global response remains inadequate, and up-to-date evidence related to the nature of the burden of chronic diseases is not in the hands of decision makers. Many believe that chronic diseases afflict only the affluent and the elderly, that they arise solely from freely acquired risks, and that their control is both costly and ineffective and should wait until infectious diseases have been addressed. Policy makers need to be fully informed of the burden and risk factors of chronic diseases. Clearer messages on chronic disease burden and the implications are needed, and the advocacy base must be expanded.

This Special Issue is open to any subject area related to the disease burden of chronic diseases, the interaction of COVID-19 with the continued global rise in chronic illness and the forecasts of chronic disease burden in the future. Please see the listed keywords for examples of some of the many possible topics.

We are looking forward to your contribution to this Special Issue.

Dr. Bin Zhu
Dr. Chih-Wei Hsieh
Dr. Hao Xue
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

chronic diseases
burden of diseases
burden of cancers
risk factors
policy makers
prevalence
incidence
DALY

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 4827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mortality and Years of Life Lost Due to Brain and Other Central Nervous System Cancer in Wuhan, China, from 2010 to 2019

by Jiahao Chen, Yan Liu, Haoyu Wen, Yaqiong Yan, Niannian Yang, Yan Guo, Juan Dai and Chuanhua Yu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3544; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043544 - 17 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1404

Abstract

Background: Brain cancer is one of the worst types of cancer worldwide. Understanding the epidemiology of CNS cancer is critical for properly allocating healthcare resources. Methods: We collected data on CNS cancer deaths in Wuhan, China, during 2010–2019. We constructed the cause-eliminated life tables to calculate life expectancy (LE), mortality, and years of life lost (YLLs) by age and sex. The BAPC model was used to forecast the future trends of age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR). Decomposition analysis was adopted to explore the contribution of population growth, population aging, and age-specific mortality to the change in total CNS cancer deaths. Results: In 2019, the ASMR of CNS cancer was 3.75, and the ASYR was 135.70 in Wuhan, China. ASMR was expected to decrease to 3.43 in 2024. The age distribution of deaths due to CNS cancer was concentrated in the middle-aged and older population, with a peak in the 65–69 age group. Caidian, Jianghan, and Qingshan had the greatest ASMRs in 2019 in Wuhan, with ASMRs of 6.32, 4.78, and 4.75, respectively. Population aging is critical to the change in total CNS cancer deaths. Conclusion: We analyzed the current status, temporal trends, and gender and age distributions of the burden of CNS cancer in Wuhan, during 2010–2019, providing a valuable reference for better lessening the CNS cancer burden. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?)

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12 pages, 3102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Burden and Its Attributable Risk Factors in China: Estimates and Forecasts from 1990 to 2050

by Ruhao Zhang, Yifei He, Bincai Wei, Yongbo Lu, Jingya Zhang, Ning Zhang, Rongxin He, Hao Xue and Bin Zhu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2926; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042926 - 8 Feb 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1733

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an uncommon and aggressive malignant head and neck cancer, which is highly prevalent in southern and southwestern provinces in China. The aim of this study was to examine the disease burden and risk factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China from 1990 to 2019 and to predict the incidence trends from 2020 to 2049. All data were extracted from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort (APC) models were chosen to analyze prevalence trends. The temporal trends and age distribution of risk factors were also analyzed descriptively. Bayesian APC models were used to predict the prevalence from 2020 to 2049. The results indicate a higher disease burden in men and older adults. Their attributable risk factors are smoking, occupational exposure to formaldehyde, and alcohol use. We predict that the incidence will be on the rise in all age groups between 2020 and 2049, with the highest incidence in people aged 70 to 89 years. In 2049, the incidence rate is expected to reach 13.39 per 100,000 (50–54 years), 16.43 (55–59 years), 17.26 (60–64 years), 18.02 (65–69 years), 18.55 (70–74 years), 18.39 (75–79 years), 19.95 (80–84 years), 23.07 (85–89 years), 13.70 (90–94 years), and 6.68 (95+ years). The findings of this study might deserve consideration in China’s NPC prevention and control policy design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?)

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17 pages, 6776 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Global, Regional and National Burden of Pancreatic Cancer Attributable to Smoking, 1990 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

by Wenkai Jiang, Caifei Xiang, Yan Du, Xin Li and Wence Zhou

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021552 - 14 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2335

Abstract

Objective: Pancreatic cancer poses a serious medical problem worldwide. Studies have reported the relationship between smoking and cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the burden of pancreatic cancer attributable to smoking and its global, regional and national trends, patterns and alterations from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Data were extracted from the Global Health Data Exchange query tool, including deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and age-standardized rates (ASRs). Measures were stratified by sex, age, region, country/territory and sociodemographic index (SDI). We used Joinpoint regression to determine the secular trend of ASRs by calculating the average annual percentage change (AAPC). Results: In 2019, smoking risk-related deaths and DALYs accounted for 21.3% and 21.1% of global pancreatic cancer, respectively. There were 113,384 (95% UI 98,830 to 128,466) deaths of smoking-attributable pancreatic cancer worldwide in 2019, of which 64.1% were in males. The disease burden was higher in males than in females. High-income regions or large population regions had the higher disease burden. East Asia carried the highest number of smoking-attributable pancreatic cancer deaths and DALYs. The Caribbean had the fastest increasing rate (AAPC = 3.849, 95% CI 3.310 to 4.391) of age-standardized death rate over the past 30 years. In 2019, China had the highest number of deaths, which was followed by the USA and Japan. There was a trend of increasing ASDR along with increases in SDI. Conclusion: Variations existed in the smoking risk-related pancreatic cancer burden among different sexes, age groups, regions and countries/territories. The burden of smoking-attributable pancreatic cancer should be considered an important health issue. Future strategies should include comprehensive policies to control tobacco use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?)

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18 pages, 2680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Musculoskeletal Disorder Burden and Its Attributable Risk Factors in China: Estimates and Predicts from 1990 to 2044

by Zeru Yu, Jingya Zhang, Yongbo Lu, Ning Zhang, Bincai Wei, Rongxin He and Ying Mao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010840 - 2 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2336

Abstract

Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the three major disabling diseases in the world. However, the current disease burden in China is not well-known. This study aimed to explore the burden and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders in China from 1990 to 2019, predicting the incidence trend from 2020 to 2044. All data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019). Joinpoint regression and age–period–cohort (APC) models were selected to analyze the epidemic trend, and descriptive analyses of the time trends and age distributions of risk factors were performed. The Bayesian APC model was used to foresee the incidence trend from 2020 to 2044. The results indicated that the burden of musculoskeletal disorders is higher in women and older adults. Its attributable risk factors were found to be tobacco, a high body mass index, kidney dysfunction and occupational risks. In 2044, musculoskeletal disorders in China showed a downward trend for 35–59-year-olds and a slight upward trend for 30–34- and 65–84-year-olds. The 70–74 year age group saw the largest increase in incidence at 4.66%. Overall, the incidence increased with age. Therefore, prevention and control policies should focus on women and the elderly, and health interventions should be carried out based on risk factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?)

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20 pages, 2738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global, Regional, and National Burden of Road Injuries from 1990 to 2019

by Yifan Xu, Meikai Chen, Ruitong Yang, Muhemaiti Wumaierjiang and Shengli Huang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16479; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416479 - 8 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2110

Abstract

(1) Background: Understanding occurrence can help formulate effective preventative laws and regulations. However, the most recent global burden and road injuries (RIs) trends have not been reported. This study reports the burden of RIs globally from 1990 to 2019. (2) Methods: RIs data were downloaded from the Global Burden of Disease 2019. Incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) described the trend and burden of RIs. We calculated age-standardized rates (ASRs) and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) for the above indexes to evaluate the temporal trend of RIs. We evaluated the social-demographic index (SDI) with epidemiological RI parameters and reported proportions of age-standardized rates due to RI. (3) Results: In 2019, the global incidence of RIs reached 103.2 million. The EAPC of RI incidence increased, whereas deaths and DALYs decreased. Age-standardized incident rate (ASIR) was highest in low-middle SDI regions, age-standardized death rate (ASDR) was high in middle SDI regions, and age-standardized DALYs increased in low SDI regions. The highest accident rates were found in those aged 20–24 years old. Cyclist injuries were the leading RIs (34%), though pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death (37.4%, 37.6%) and DALYs (35.7%, 32.3%), respectively. (4) Conclusions: Over the past 30 years, RIs incidence increased annually, though death and DALY rates decreased. RIs places a considerable burden on public health in low SDI countries. Data should be used to develop and implement effective measures to reduce the burden of RIs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Diseases Burden and Risk Factors: What Policy Makers Need to Know?)

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