Experts urge action to break link between unhealthy food, non-communicable diseases and poverty

Experts decried the deep-rooted connection between unhealthy diets, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and poverty during a conference dialogue on Wednesday

During a policy dialogue on the “Unhealthy Food, NCDs, and Poverty Nexus” at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in Lahore, organised by the Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA), experts concluded that improved health and socio-economic outcomes could be achieved through effective governance and the implementation of the right public policies.

In a press release, the CGPA cited a 2014-2015 survey by NCDs STEPS, which said that “more than four out of ten adults (41.3 per cent) were obese or overweight, while 37pc had hypertension”.

Furthermore, it quoted the World Health Organisation, stating that “cardiovascular diseases stand among the top killers of Pakistanis with 29pc contribution in the total NCDs related deaths in the country”.

According to the 10th edition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 2021 Diabetes Atlas, Pakistan has the third highest burden of type 2 diabetes worldwide with more than 33 million cases with additional I0m termed as pre-diabetic.

“These unhealthy conditions of the Pakistani population are being manifested in causes of mostly premature deaths,” it added.

Muhammad Anwar, executive director of CGPA, said that his organisation was “ready to help government agencies, especially the food authorities and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, in establishing surveillance mechanisms to control industrially produced trans fatty acids which are the root cause of many NCDs.

Keynote speaker, Dr Jalal, mentioned that the leading causes of deaths and disability were not “wars, traffic accidents, or infections, but rather high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and high cholesterol levels”.

“While these diseases are taking away 60pc of precious lives, we can still prevent them with modifications in dietary practices, lifestyles, and choosing the standard medical treatments,” he added.

“Preventive cardiology is the answer to increasing burden of cardiovascular and metabolic ailments in the country”.

Zubair Faisal Abbasi, advisor of CGPA, said that food governance was a relatively new area for Pakistan, and therefore, new forms of institutional arrangements and coordination were needed to improve governance.

“Without improving governance, it not possible to discourage unhealthy foods such as iTFAs getting onto our tables and the sending us to hospitals”, he added.

Maheen Fatima, director of the Punjab Food Authority, said that her organisation was actively protecting the citizens’ right to safe food and good health.

Meanwhile, Dr Uzair Ahson, an economist, emphasised the economics of disease burden and stressed the need for better public policies such as health financing, social protection, and taxation on unhealthy foods.

“We are having double disease burden, and NCDs add such burdens which must be prevented otherwise they perpetuate poverty”, he added.

He laid stress on human capital being lost due to rising NCDs in the country.

Finally, Moeed Yusuf, vice chancellor of BNU, said, “Academic institutions, food authorities, and civil society organisations must work together to fight against unhealthy food, rising burden of diseases, and help reduce poverty with better human development strategies”.