Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention In Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Overview of Health in All Policies (HiAP)

Noncommunicable disease (NCD) causes about 35 million deaths and accounts for 60% of all deaths, of which 80% is in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). NCDs will account for 80% of the global burden of disease by 2020 and account for 7 out of every 10 deaths in LMIC. NCD is no longer an emerging problem in developing countries, it’s assuming an alarming dimension, and taking on the proportion of an epidemic. Several literatures document the known risk factors for significant NCDs. The critical risk factors are tobacco usage, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and detrimental usage of alcohol. To reverse the trend that leads to an increase in poor dietary patterns, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, and harmful alcohol use will need policies that transcend the health sector and policy change in different areas such as finance, urban planning, education, agriculture, and transportation.