Health Concerns in ASEAN: Mental Disorders, CVD, Smoking, and Road Injuriess

ASEAN is a dynamic union of 10 member states, united despite diverse socioeconomic, political, and cultural backgrounds (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Special Issue: ASEAN Integration and its Health Implications

Go to source). Millions in the ASEAN region are affected by major health issues, including mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, and road injuries. These pressing concerns demand attention and action to mitigate their impact on mortality, morbidity, and quality of life.

Uncovering the Causes

Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine analyzed the data from 1990 to 2021 by age, sex, and location across all ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

 Additionally, the region’s rapid economic growth and aging population are increasing the burden from non-communicable diseases and the strain on health systems. ASEAN countries have made significant progress in improving health outcomes in recent decades, but progress has been hindered by a combination of long-standing and newly emerging risk factors, particularly in some areas.

Mental Disorder Causes Explored

Mental disorders were among the top 10 causes of disease burden in every ASEAN nation except Myanmar, and anxiety disorders were the region’s most common mental disorder. In 2021, more than 80 million people suffered from one of the 10 mental disorders studied, surging 70% higher than in 1990. That translates to an age-standardized prevalence of 12%, representing a 7% increase from 1990 and with Malaysia experiencing the highest prevalence, which is a 13% rise. The increase in mental disorders is taking a heavier toll on children, adolescents, the elderly, and women than other demographic groups.

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A closer look by age shows 15–19-year-olds had the steepest climb in prevalence at nearly 11%, while mental disorders accounted for more than a quarter of the total disease burden among 10–19-year-olds, mainly across high-income ASEAN countries and with Singapore having the greatest burden. Although the increase in prevalence was less than 3% among adults 70 and older, the number of cases increased 183%.

The Burden of Heart Disease in ASEAN

With 37 million people in the region suffering from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 1.7 million deaths, it’s now the leading cause of mortality and morbidity and one of the fastest growing non-communicable diseases in ASEAN. From 1990 to 2021, the total number of CVD cases increased by 148% whereas the prevalence increased about 3%, accounting for nearly 10% of the global CVD burden. CVD death rates were higher than the global average in Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

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Men had a higher prevalence and mortality rate of CVD compared to women across the region. The top three CVDs with the highest prevalence rates were ischemic heart disease (IHD), lower extremity peripheral arterial disease, and stroke.

The ASEAN Smoke Screen

Since 1990, the number of smokers has increased in every country in ASEAN and regionally by 63% to 137 million, which was about 12% of the total number of global smokers aged 15 and up in 2021. Although smoking prevalence has declined in ASEAN, it remains high at 48% among males 15 and older. In Indonesia, that figure was higher at 58%. In Malaysia, youth smoking is a growing concern, with an estimated 20% of male children aged 10–14 currently smoking.

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In 2021, more than half a million people in the region died from smoking-related diseases, an increase of 231,000 deaths from 1990, with men dying at a rate 10 times higher than women. The region’s highest number of smoking-related deaths were from IHD, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The region’s annual tobacco consumption of 556 billion units was also more than the global average.

Crashing Reality of Road Accident Injuries

Injuries are largely preventable but are killing and harming people unnecessarily across ASEAN. While road injuries had the highest mortality and morbidity in most of the countries, falls were the most common cause of injuries and second-leading cause of injury mortality followed by self-harm, drownings, and interpersonal violence. Death and disability from road injuries were particularly severe in Thailand, which recorded 30 deaths per 100,000 population, primarily from motorcycle accidents. Malaysia reported 24 deaths per 100,000 population, mostly from motor vehicle accidents.

Uniting for Health, Empowering ASEAN
Reference:

1. Special Issue: ASEAN Integration and its Health Implications - (https:pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4309835/)


Source-Eurekalert