World Health Organisation’s Strategic Planning Officer, Shiva Anjini Singh says non-communicable diseases are becoming a socio-economic burden for Fiji as it accounts for an estimated 84% of premature deaths.
While highlighting the overview of the situation analysis of NCDs in Fiji during the Wellness and NCD consultation Workshop today, Singh says emphasis must be placed on primary prevention and enhancing wellness in the communities rather than crisis management approaches which only focus on NCD control and strengthening resilience in disasters and pandemics.
She says NCDs is high in Fiji because there is a lack of physical activity, poor diets, abuse of tobacco and alcohol, and environmental factors.
Singh adds according to a 2011 survey on NCDs, 66% of the total population was overweight or obese, 31% had raised blood pressure, 30.6% had taken alcohol, 85% ate less than 5 combined servings of fruits and vegetables in a day and 60.6% population smoke daily.
She says Fiji should now be heading towards new strategies that can minimise the impacts of NCDs.
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Singh says 8.2 million lives can be saved globally by 2030 if good healthy practices are being followed.
