scholarly journals History of global burden of disease assessment at the World Health Organization

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin D. Mathers
Author(s):  
Joia S. Mukherjee

This chapter defines terms used to describe the health of populations, such as incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. It introduces the concept of the burden of disease: that is, the quantity and impact of diseases and conditions that affect the health of populations. The Global Burden of Disease project, first launched in 1990 by the World Health Organization (WHO) seeks to measure disease burden on a regular basis. This chapter also examines the epidemiological transition, a concept that describes changes in causes of morbidity and mortality associated with economic development. The limitations of this concept and the need to address the entirety of the disease burden and achieve Universal Health Coverage are also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7S-30S
Author(s):  
Shiriki Kumanyika ◽  
Ashkan Afshin ◽  
Mary Arimond ◽  
Mark Lawrence ◽  
Sarah A. McNaughton ◽  
...  

Background: Healthy diets promote optimal growth and development and prevent malnutrition in all its forms, including undernutrition, obesity, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Objective: This background paper for the International Expert Consultation on Sustainable Healthy Diets characterizes healthy diets and their implications for food system sustainability. Methods: Three complementary approaches to defining healthy diets are compared: World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines or recommendations developed between 1996 and 2019; 2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) risk factor study estimates of diet-related risk–outcome associations; and analyses associating indices of whole dietary patterns with health outcomes in population studies and clinical trials. Results: World Health Organization dietary recommendations are global reference points for preventing undernutrition and reducing NCD risks; they emphasize increasing intakes of fruits, vegetables (excepting starchy root vegetables), legumes, nuts, and whole grains; limiting energy intake from free sugars and total fats; consuming unsaturated rather than saturated or trans fats; and limiting salt intake. Global Burden of Disease findings align well with WHO recommendations but include some additional risk factors such as high consumption of processed meat; this approach quantifies contributions of diet-related risks to the NCD burden. Evidence on whole dietary patterns supports WHO and GBD findings and raises concerns about potential adverse health effects of foods with high levels of industrial processing. Conclusions: Implied shifts toward plant foods and away from animal foods (excepting fish and seafood), and for changes in food production systems have direct relevance to the sustainability agenda.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
Guilherme Borges ◽  
Gerhard Gmel ◽  
Kathryn Graham ◽  
Bridget Grant ◽  
...  

Rehm, J., Borges, G., Gmel, G., Graham, K., Grant, B., Parry, C., Poznyak, V. & Room R. (2013). The comparative risk assessment for alcohol as part of the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study: What changed from the last study? International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(1), 1-5.  doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.132 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.132)In December 2012, the new results of the Comparative Risk Assessment (CRA) for alcohol within the Global Burden of Disease and Injury (GBD) Study 2010 were presented at a joint meeting of the GBD Group and the journal Lancet at the Royal Society in London (Lim et al., 2012). At first glance, there do not appear to be many changes to alcohol consumption as a risk factor for death and disability: it is identified as the third most important risk factor, as it was in the last CRA (World Health Organization, 2009). The burden of disease attributable to alcohol had increased, compared to the 2004 estimate (Rehm, Mathers et al., 2009), but this could be due to an increase in global population, or to variations in the methodologies behind the 2004 and 2010 estimates.


Leprosy ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Charlotte A. Roberts

This chapter introduces leprosy, an infection that is still misunderstood and considered a neglected tropical disease but declining in frequency, according to the World Health Organization. The bacteria that cause leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, are outlined, as well as how a relative strength of a person’s immune system determines how leprosy affects the body. Although leprosy is curable, associated stigma and disability remain common challenges for people with the disease in parts of the world. The goals and structure of the book are outlined, ten myths that still pervade society at large are listed, and the use of the word “leper” discussed. Based on World Health Organization data, the chapter also explores the frequency of leprosy today, where the infection remains a challenge, and the history of detecting and reporting evidence for leprosy in living populations. Finally, the reasons why bioarchaeologists have an interest in this infection are explored.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynelle Moon ◽  
Michelle Gourley ◽  
John Goss ◽  
Miriam Lum On ◽  
Paula Laws ◽  
...  

Abstract Australia’s 1996 national burden of disease (BoD) study was one of the first in the world and updates have continued over the following two decades with the fifth study now underway. The studies adapt the global framework most recently implemented by the Global Burden of Disease Study and the World Health Organization to suit Australia’s specific needs, producing estimates of fatal and non-fatal burden via the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) metric, as well as attribution of the burden to many risk factors. Detailed Australian data are used with minimal reliance on modelling to fill data gaps. Comprehensive estimates are produced, including for the Indigenous population, for each of the eight states and territories, the five remoteness areas and five socioeconomic quintiles. A number of method developments have been made as part of these studies, including redistribution of deaths data and a detailed quality framework for describing the robustness of the underlying data and methods. Data and methods continue to be refined as part of the studies, and developments in global studies and other national studies are incorporated where appropriate.


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