Major study paints dangerous picture of local health
"If such risks are high, the age reduction or 'premature death' rate of people will increase in the country over the next 10 years," Sheena said.
By
Aminath Shifleen
A major study on the health of Maldivians published on Monday has revealed that people are at high risk of developing non-communicable and life-threatening diseases. Eating and living habits are in such a way that you can have diabetes, blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The study, conducted jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the National University of Maldives (MNU), was released at a ceremony held on Monday night and showed a causes for concern.
Quoting the findings of the study, MNU Research Director Dr Raheema Abdul Raheem said the study, which involved 3,104 people, will be used to assess the state of the country's total population. This data was collected 2020-2021, including those aged 15-69 years.
The study, which was conducted in three parts, looked at:
-
A question paper containing information on the risks of non-communicable diseases
-
Participants' weight, height, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
-
Levels of blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and sodium levels in urine
What are the results?
The study showed that local lifestyle and habits were significantly associated with diseases.
-
One in four people is a smoker
-
At the age of eight, some people start smoking
-
One in every 20 people drink alcohol
-
One in four people consume narcotics
-
More than half of the respondents from Maldives do not need vegetables and fruits to the best of standards (according to WHO standards, you need to eat fruits and vegetables in five servings a day; the amount of a serving is a small bottle if it's uncooked vegetables and fruits, and half of a bottle if it's chopped).
-
One in three people added salt separately to their food, in addition to the amount of salt added in the cooking process
-
When urine was tested, it was found that people consumed 8.8 grams of salt per day, which is four times higher than the normal level
-
Half of the country's population is leaning towards obesity, and one in five of them are obese
-
One in three people have higher blood cholesterol levels than they should be.
Giving more details of the study, medical and public health consultant Sheena Moosa also expressed her concern. According to her:
-
One in four people have high blood pressure
-
14% of people have higher sugar than they should have
"With all these risks, the risk of heart disease and stroke is very high," Sheena said.
The study also examined the proportion of risk factors of more than three risks in patients younger than 45 years of age and older:
-
Among those under the age of 45, one in three people at three risks
-
Of those over the age of 45, one in two at three risks
Taking note of these figures, Sheena said that in the next 10 years, one in three people in the country's population is at a higher risk of developing diseases in that age group.
"These are very worrying numbers. The risk factors are alarming," Sheena said.
She said studies have shown that most of the deaths in the country are due to non-communicable diseases, but what is more important to note is that people in the country usually die earlier than the average mortality rate of the country.
"If such risks are high, the age reduction or 'premature death' rate of people will increase in the country over the next 10 years," Sheena said.
