Background Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. MethodsWe used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30-79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age.Findings The number of people aged 30-79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306-359) million women and 317 (292-344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584-668) million women and 652 (604-698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55-62) of women and 49% (46-52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43-51) of women and 38% (35-41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20-27) for women and 18% (16-21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.

No abstract

Background: The prevalence of obesity in Russia has increased sharply since the mid-1990s. Interestingly, the prevalence of obesity in Japan is lower than in many Western countries. Japan has implemented different types of weight control programs using a smart device to monitor patients remotely. New health promotion methods from Japan are now being used in Russia. The Russian-Japanese “Tackle Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Outcome by Diet, Activities and Checking Body Weight Intervention” (RJ-TOMODACHI) study aims to evaluate a preventive intervention using Japanese health monitoring technology in reducing excess body weight, compared with standard care, in Russia. Methods and Results: The trial is a single-center, 3-armed, parallel group randomized controlled trial conducted among overweight/obese adults. It has been designed to compare the effectiveness of 2 newly developed interventions against standard care for 6 months. Participants in the low- and high-intensity intervention groups will have 3 and 6 consultations over the study period, respectively. In all, 260 adults were screened at baseline; 65 did not participate in the trial for various reasons. The remaining 195 people were randomized into 3 groups (high-intensity intervention, n=73, low-intensity, n=73; standard care group, n=49). Conclusions: The trial protocol has been designed so that the methodology can be adapted for use in Russia.

Aim To estimate the economic burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Russian Federation (RF) in 2016, including the direct costs and the economic losses caused by reduced productivity. Material and Methods We included 4 diseases: cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, cancer and chronic pulmonary disease (COPD). We used the official statistics data collected by Ministry of health on the number of patients, health care resources utilization (hospitalizations, emergency visits, outpatients’ visits). The costs of health care were obtained from health insurance fund. Directs nonmedical costs included disabilitypayments, calculated based on the number of disabled persons from each group and by the amount of the disability allowance. Indirect costs (economic losses) included decreased productivity due to premature mortality and disability. The potential years of life lost (PYLL) were calculated using the number of life years lost due todeath and disability due to NCDs before 70 years. Human capital approach was used, and calculation were based on the GDP per person. Results Number of PYLL due to premature death from NCDs was estimated to be 8,0 million years. Economic burden because of NCDs in 2016 in the RF reached 3,3 trillion (45.9 billion €), which is equivalent of 3.9% of GDP for this year. Direct costs were responsible only for 13% of losses, indirect costs for 87% of the total burden. CVD were responsible for 81,4% of burden, cancer – for 7,1%, diabetes - 6,5% and COPD for 5,0%. Conclusions The economic burden because of NCDs in the RF in 2016 was 3.3 trillion (3.9% of GDP). Such the significant economic burden and absence of positive dynamics is a strong argument for increasing investments in the prevention and treatment of NCDs. Key messages Number of PYLL due to premature death from NCDs was estimated to be 8,0 million years. Economic burden because of NCDs in 2016 in the RF reached 3,3 trillion (45.9 billion €), which is equivalent of 3.9% of GDP for this year.