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Date: 06.01.2017
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Why smoking, alcohol abuse,
poor diet and lack of exercise
may he slowly killing you
BY ANNIE NIANJA
The hinging festival that was the Christmas
and New Year holidays has ended, but the steady
diet of fast foods, fizzy soft drinks, cocktails and
everything in between will probably extend well
into the year.
This unhampered diet andthe lack of exercise,
will make its effects on thebody well known; eating
away atvital organs and breeding diseases.
Non­Communicable Diseases (NCDs) or life­
style diseases are a leading killer globally and
Kenya is dangerously flirting with them as fast
food chains set up shop at every corner.
NCDs manifest in form of cardiovascular ail­
ments like heart attacks and strokes, cancers,
chronic respiratory diseases like asthma and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dia­
betes, according to the World Health Organisa­
tion (WHO).
Tobacco use, alcohol, poor diet and lack of or
low physical exercises are the greatest contributors
to the ailments, with three quarters of adults living
in Africa facing at least three of the risk factors,
said WHO in a report published two weeks ago.
Women in Africa face the greatest risk.
Silent onset
Often, NCDs have a slow and silent onset, devas­
tating complications and end in painful deaths.
"NCDs have been on the rise in the country
mainly because of rapid urbanisation, lack of
physical activity, poor diet and genetics in some
cases.
"The greatest problem we have at the moment is
lifestyle patterns where people continuously binge
on alcohol, use tobacco and eat unhealthy foods,"
said Head of the NCDs Division at the Ministry of
Health (MoH) Joseph Kibachio.
In Kenya, the diseases account for the deaths
of 100,000 people every year, putting more pres­
"Nutrition can be used to prevent or manage some of the ailments like
diabetes, cancers, hypertension and obesity; ci condition which is an
underlying cause ofsome of the NCDs,"
Gladys Mugambi,
Head of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Ministry of Health."
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
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sure on the frail health ministiy already dealing
with the burden of infectious illnesses.
The STEPwise report released by the Ministiy
last year states that cardiovascular illnesses and
cancers are the leading causes of deaths after infec­
tious diseases in Kenya. Changes in lifestyle pat­
terns, the Ministry says, were the main contributors
towards the growing prevalence and the burden of
the diseases is straining the economic progression
and financial capacity by six per cent.
WHO is particularly concerned with the pen­
etration of the diseases and the growing numbers
Results for adults aged 18­69 years
TOBACCO USE
Percentage of those who currently use tobacco.
Percentage of those who currently smoke tobacco.
of those affected in Africa. The UN agency says that
the burden of the diseases has been increasing
over the last decade and is likely to surpass the
Percentage of people who currently smoke tobacco daily.
Percentage of those who currently use smokeless tobacco.
death toll from infectious sickness like malaria
by 2030, if nothing is done to tame the soaring
numbers.
"We cannot lose sight of the enormous health
dangers posed by non­communicable diseases,
especially since many of these can be prevented
through changes in behaviour and lifestyle," Dr
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Africa.
Percentage of lifetime abstainers.
Globally, NCDs accountfor 38 million deaths
every year with the low and middle­income coun­
tries accounting for three quarter (28 million) of
Percentage of those who have abstained in the last 12 months.
the loss of lives. Cardio­vascular ailments account
Who currently drink (drank alcohol in the past 30 days)
to about 60 per cent of the diseases.
Who engage in heavy episodic drinking (six or more drinks
on any occasion in the past 30 days)
It is estimated that the global death toll from
NCDs may go up to 44 million within the next
four years.
Life expectancy
A study published last year in the UK medical
journal, The Lancet, puts the global death toll from
NCD's at 40 million in 2015, which means that the
ailments accounted for 70 per cent of the deaths.
While another study says that life expectancy has
improved by 10.1 per cent, people worldwide are
spending more years living with illness now more
than 16 years ago.
And, although people are living up to 10 years
longer than they did in 1990, four of those extra
years are spent in deteriorating health.
Percentage with insufficient physical activity (defined as < 150 minutes ­
of moderate­intensity activity per week, or equivalent)*
Median time spent in physical activity on average per day (minutes)
(presented with inter­quartile range)
Percentage not engaging in vigorous activity
Median time spent in sedentary time on average per day (minutes)
(presented with in ter­quartile range)
This means that while cure and methods to
131
tame communicable, neonatal, maternal, and
nutritional diseases have come up, Lifestyle
diseases are the new crisis facing health sectors
around the world.
Globally, the use of tobacco causes 70 per cent
of lung cancers, 40 per cent chronic lung cancer
diseases and 10 per cent of cardiovascular dis­
eases. Failure to eat enough fruits and vegetables
also accounts for about 14 per cent of deaths from
gastrointestinal cancer and about 10 per cent of
Mean number of servings of fruit consumed on average per day.
Mean number of days vegetables are consumed in a typical week.
Mean number of servings of vegetables eaten on average per day.
Percentage who ate less than five servings of fruit and or vegetables
deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke.
"Nutrition can be used to prevent or manage
some of the ailments like diabetes, cancers, hyper­
tension and obesity; a condition which is an un­
derlying cause of some of the NCDs," said Gladys
Mugambi, head of nutrition and dietetics at the
Ministry of Health.
Promoting wellbeing
"We need to adopt the culture of eating veg­
etables and fruits for vital vitamins and minerals
in right amounts and the expected frequency. We
also need to watch sugar, fats and carbohydrates
intake as well as embrace exercises in order exercise
to keep conditions like obesity (a leading cause in
diabetes and hypertension) at bay" she added.
WHO recommends that adults between the
age of 18 and 64 engage in physical activities for
at least 150 minutes of moderate­intensity work­
out or 75 minutes of vigorous work out through­
out the week.
DIET
Mean number of days fruits are eaten in a typical week.
on average per day.
Percentage who always or often add sugar when cooking or
preparing food and beverages at home.
A series published in Lancet on urban de­
sign, transport and health by the University of
Melbourne (Australia) and the University of
California, (USA), says that cities would pro­
mote people overall health if they encouraged
a shift from use of private cars to cycling and
walking, and promoted designs where shops
and facilities such as public transport are
placed within walking distance.
Such considerations will ensure a reduc­
tion in health issues including, encourage
physical activity and reduce air pollution
from transport emissions.
"City planning was key to cutting infec­
tious disease outbreaks in the 19th century
through improved sanitation, housing and
separating residential and industrial areas.
Today, there is a real opportunity for city
planning to reduce non­communicable dis­
eases and road trauma and to promote health
and wellbeing more broadly," Series author
lar disease burden by 13 per cent and seven
per cent in type 2 diabetes while in Boston,
Professor Billie Giles­Corti, University of
The model suggested key interventions
that encourage walking, cycling and pub­
lic transport and reduce use of private cars
and/or increasing the cost of parking, having
attractive and convenient public transport
systems as well as setting up infrastructure
that supports safe walking and cycling.
Melbourne, Australia.
The researchers, who carried out the study
in Melbourne, London, Boston, Sao Paulo,
Copenhagen and Delhi recorded an estimat­
ed reduction of 19 per cent in the burden of
cardiovascular disease and 14 per cent in the
burden of type 2 diabetes in Melbourne.
there was 15 per cent and 11 per cent reduc­
tion, respectively.
Key interventions
In London it reduced the cardiovascu­
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya