India’s noncommunicable disease (NCD) rate continues to grow, according to a recent study. The survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and prepared by the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute, covered 233,672 people and 673 public health offices across 21 states. It marks the latest reminder of the growing NCD crisis […]
noncommunicable diseases
Long working hours are bad for your health
Long working hours are detrimental to your health and may even cost lives. This is according to a recent assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which attributed long working hours to 745,000 deaths due to stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016 alone. According to the ILO/WHO analysis, […]
A good night’s sleep is good for your health
A healthy sleep pattern is a vital component of our wellbeing, but many Indians do miss out. Today marks World Sleep Day, with the theme “Regular Sleep, Healthy Future.” This is the fourteenth annual observance of the occasion and it is significant given how healthy sleeping patterns benefit us. As previously reported by Health Issues […]
Glaucoma awareness a must in tackling blindness
With World Glaucoma Week having begun yesterday, it is a valuable opportunity to assess the disease’s impact – given it is a significant driver of vision loss in India and globally. As explained by the National Health Portal, “glaucoma is a term used to describe [a] group of diseases of the eye, characterised by progressive […]
All you need to know about Breast Cancer
World Cancer Day 2021: All you need to know about Breast Cancer The most common cancer amongst women, breast cancer covers 25% of all cancer burden, globally as well as in India. With alarming rise in its incidence in the country, predominantly in urban India, estimates suggest every four minutes an Indian woman is diagnosed […]
Loss of green space in India shown to be associated with higher cardiometabolic risk
Loss of green space due to urban development may be associated with an increase in several cardiometabolic risk factors, according to a study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). The study investigated the association between land-use changes in a periurban area south of Telangana state capital Hyderabad where urbanisation – involving the […]
Comorbidities led to most COVID-19 deaths in West Bengal
Research published by the state health department in West Bengal found comorbidities proved lethal in a significant proportion of the state’s COVID-19 deaths. As of December 3rd, 2020, 8,376 people in the state lost their lives to COVID-19 according to Statista. The state health department identified comorbidities such as hypertension, cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary […]
NCDs and the COVID-19 crisis
Many – if not most – public health challenges have been sidelined in the global discourse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the World Health Organization (WHO) warns, are a case in point. COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly referred to simply as the coronavirus – […]
World Health Day in a time of crisis
Today marks World Health Day – an observance the world marks this year in the context of the global pandemic of coronavirus. Cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus – are rising sharply globally. India has reported thousands of infections and well in excess of […]
“Toxic air” – The price we pay for pollution
A recently unveiled report has calculated the cost of air pollution due to fossil fuels, pegging it at US$2.9 trillion a year – equivalent to 3.3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) lost to toxic air. The cost of toxic air as a result of fossil fuels translates to US$8 billion – a […]