The Ministry of Health has reported that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 60% of annual deaths in Trinidad and Tobago.
Obesity, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol intake, and tobacco use are some of the prevalent risk factors contributing to this.
The Ministry noted that 4,052 adults from across the country, aged 18-69, participated in the survey, which compared statistics from 2011 and 2024. The subsequent STEPS Report revealed key findings on NCDs and the findings from 2002 to 2020 for cancer.
Presented by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, the Survey, which was conducted in three steps, looked at socio-demographics, behavioural information, and physical measurements.
Director at the NCD Unit, Dr. Maria Clapperton, noted, “We found that 11.8% of adults aged 40 to 69 years had a greater than or equal to 20% risk of developing a cardiovascular event within the next 10 years.”
Of the outcomes, poor diet choices leading to obesity proved to be one of the leading NCDs, showing a steady increase.
“We found a prevalence of 61.2% of the population being overweight or obese. That is having a BMI of greater than or equal to 25 kilogrammes per square metre, with a mean BMI of 27.8 for the population.”
Recently recognised as a Non-Communicable Disease, mental health with a focus on depression affects many of the country’s youth.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh urged parents to be mindful of what their children consume.
“What tobacco and alcohol are to adults as addictive elements, now these screens are the new alcohol and tobacco affecting our children.”
Lifetime risk is defined as the probability of an individual developing or dying from a specific disease. This risk for the period 2003 to 2020 slightly decreased.
Meanwhile, it was noted by Dr. Nkesi Felix of the National Cancer Registry that leukaemia, lymphoma, prostate, and breast cancer were the leading cancers in Trinidad and Tobago.
“There were 43,379 cases diagnosed. 2013 showed the least number of cases, whereas 2020 had the highest number of cases diagnosed. And for deaths, over the period, there were 27,311 cancer deaths, with 2003 having the lowest number of deaths, and 2019 had the highest number of deaths.”
Accessible to all via the Ministry of Health website, the two reports offer comprehensive data for understanding the risk factors of NCDs.