Impact of Unhealthy Lifestyle in Developed and Developing Countries
Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases are the four chronic diseases (also known as NCDs or non-communicable diseases) that account for the majority of deaths worldwide (WHO, 2010). It is estimated that each year 7 million people die due to high blood pressure, 4.4 million die due to high cholesterol, 5.4 million die of tobacco, and 5.3 million die of physical inactivity and unhealthy diet (WHO, 2010). This rate of death due to NCDs has been widely regarded to be caused directly or indirectly by unhealthy lifestyle (Cecchini et al., 2010) and the traditional belief that it affects only the rich countries has already been disproved (Nugent, 2008). Poor or low-income countries are also affected by the continuing development of chronic diseases in greater population. According to Nugent (2008), overnutrition, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the three main risk factors for chronic diseases that are continually increasing in developing countries as much as in developed countries. The development of chronic diseases may seem independent of whether a country is rich or poor but control, management and effect vary greatly depending on a nation’s wealth. Consequently, low-income countries face greater challenges than high-income countries do. Some of the challenges that low-income countries face in relation to chronic diseases are the continuing impoverishment of the individual and his family who are afflicted with chronic diseases (WHO, 2010) and the longer-term health and economic consequences that will affect health systems and other units of the society (Nugent, 2008). According to Nugent (2008), cost-effectiveness analysis has been effective—especially in low-income countries—in assisting selection of interventions that will be most helpful in managing costs and adverse effects of chronic diseases in populations. In support to Nugent’s observation, a microsimulation is best suited to address problems that will be difficult to determine through empirical investigation (Cecchini et al., 2010).
El Salvador is one of the low-income countries that are being struck by the growing trend of chronic diseases due to voluntary unhealthy lifestyle. Chronic kidney disease is becoming a pressing concern and it has been reported that 27.2% of men and 6.7% of women are affected due to alcohol use while 18.6% of men and 3.9% of women are affected due to tobacco use (Orantes et al., 2014). Additionally, Population Reference Bureau (2013) has reported that more than 20% of men and women are obese due to unhealthy lifestyle.
USA, being the leading country affected by consumerism (Pelican & Heede, 2008), is highly affected by NCDs. According to the data provided by Population Reference Bureau (2013), the population of men and women affected by NCDs in USA is greater than El Salvador and deaths due to NCDs amount to 87% of all deaths in America and 67% in El Salvador. While El Salvador is still somewhat far from the notoriety of NCDs caused by unhealthy lifestyle in USA, the rate of its population affected by chronic diseases with the fact that it is one of the low-income countries that have limited resources to sustain massive cost for the management and control of NCDs is too alarming and calls for better and more immediate solutions.
References
Cecchini, M., Sassi, F., Lauer, J.A., Lee, Y.Y., Guajardo-Barron, V., & Crisholm, D. (2010, Nov. 10). Tackling of unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and obesity: health effects and cost-effectiveness. The Lancet, 3, 1-10. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61514-0
Nugent, R. (2008). Chronic Diseases in Developing Countries: Health and Economic Burdens. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136, 70-79. doi: 10.1196/annals.1425.027
Orantes, C.M., Herrera, R., Almaguer, M., Brizuela, E.G., Nuñez, L., Alvarado, N.P.,Orellana, P. (2014, April). Epidemiology of Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults of Salvadoran Agricultural Communities. MEDICC Review, 16(2), 23-30. Retrieved from http://www.medicc.org/mediccreview/pdf.php?lang=&id=351
Pelican, S., & Heede, F.D. (2008, November). Consumerism: How it fosters unhealthy lifestyles and what we can do to live differently. University of Wyoming. Retrieved from www.uwyo.edu/CES/PUBS/MP112-6.pdf
Population Reference Bureau. (2013). Noncommunicable Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: Youth Are Key to Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prb.org/pdf13/noncommunicable-diseases-latin-america-youth-datasheet.pdf
Suhrcke, M., Nugent, R.A., Stuckler, D., & Rocco, L. (2006). Chronic Diseases: An Economic Perspective. London: Oxford Health Alliance 2006, 1-60. Retrieved from http://www.sehn.org/tccpdf/Chronic%20disease%20economic%20perspective.pdf
World Health Organization. (2010, October 25-26). Background Paper: Non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/nmh/events/2010/Tehran_Background_Paper.pdf
