Experts urge action to break link between unhealthy food, non-communicable diseases and poverty

Experts denounced the deep-rooted connection between unhealthy diets, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and poverty during a dialogue at the conference on Wednesday.

During a policy dialogue on the nexus between unhealthy foods, NCDs and poverty at the Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in Lahore, organized by the Center for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA), experts concluded that improving socio-economic outcomes and health could be achieved through effective governance and the implementation of appropriate public policies.

In a press release, the CGPA cited a 2014-2015 survey by NCD STEPS, which said that “more than four in ten adults (41.3 percent) were obese or overweight, while 37 percent “I had hypertension.”

Furthermore, it cited the World Health Organization, stating that “cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death among Pakistanis, contributing 29 percent to the total NCD-related deaths in the country.”

According to the 10th edition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas 2021, Pakistan has the third highest burden of type 2 diabetes worldwide, with more than 33 million cases, and an additional 10m are called prediabetics.

“These unhealthy conditions of the Pakistani population are manifested in causes of mostly premature deaths,” he added.

Muhammad Anwar, executive director of CGPA, said his organization was “willing to help government agencies, especially food authorities and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, establish surveillance mechanisms to monitor the trans fatty acids produced.” industrially, which are the root cause of many NCDs.

Keynote speaker Dr. Jalal mentioned that the leading causes of death and disability were not “wars, traffic accidents or infections, but rather high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and high levels of cholesterol”.

“While these diseases are taking 60 percent of precious lives, we can still prevent them by modifying dietary practices, lifestyles and choosing standard medical treatments,” he added.

“Preventive cardiology is the answer to the growing burden of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in the country.”

Zubair Faisal Abbasi, advisor to CGPA, said food governance was a relatively new area for Pakistan and therefore new forms of coordination and institutional arrangements were needed to improve governance.

“Without improving governance, it is not possible to prevent unhealthy foods like iTFA from reaching our tables and sending us to hospitals,” he added.

Maheen Fatima, director of the Punjab Food Authority, said her organization was actively protecting citizens’ right to safe food and good health.

Meanwhile, Dr Uzair Ahson, an economist, emphasized the economics of disease burden and highlighted the need for better public policies such as health financing, social protection and taxes on unhealthy foods.

“We have a double burden of disease and NCDs add burdens that must be avoided, otherwise they perpetuate poverty,” he added.

He emphasized on the loss of human capital due to the rise of NCDs in the country.

Finally, Moeed Yusuf, Vice Chancellor of BNU, said: “Academic institutions, food authorities and civil society organizations must work together to fight unhealthy foods, the growing burden of diseases and help reduce poverty with better human development strategies”.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *