Non-Communicable Diseases

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Non-Communicable Diseases in Developing Countries course focuses on the rising burden and increasing challenges associated with the shift in disease burden from infectious and communicable diseases (ICDs) to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as the major causes of mortality, morbidity, and lost years of healthy life. It provides the students with an in-depth understanding of the challenges of NCDs and the policies and strategies to curb them in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The first half of the course will cover the rising global burden of NCDs in terms of total and premature deaths and the leading causes of morbidity. The students will also learn about the environmental, metabolic, and behavioral NCD risk factors such as air pollution, high blood pressure, high glucose level, alcohol, smoking and obesity. In addition, there will be an overview of the rising costs and the macro and micro-economic impact of NCDs at the state and household levels as well as the principles of behavioral economics and its relationship to NCDs. The second half of the course will present a comprehensive framework for the prevention and treatment of NCDs. This framework will cover interventions for behavior change and prevention of NCDs, and the integrated service delivery model for the effective management of NCDs. At the end of the course, there will be a discussion on the role of the government and different sectors in adopting policies to respond to NCDs as well as the different financing models to cover them. Examples from LMICs will be presented.