The economic burden of non-communicable disease mortality in the South Pacific: Evidence from Fiji

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as one of the major endemics in Fiji which is responsible for more than 80 percent of deaths annually. In this study, we estimate the economic burden of non-communicable disease mortality in Fiji. The specific impact of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer-related mortality on Fiji's output is also investigated using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds tests approach to cointegration. The data used is compiled from Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services and World Health Organization's Mortality database. Overall, the study finds that NCD mortality rate together with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer have a significant negative effect on output per capita of Fiji between 1972 and 2016. A one percentage point increase in NCD-mortality rate reduced output per capita by 0.012 percent. In addition, a percentage point increase in the mortality rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer decreased output per capita by 0.018, 0.01, 0.031, and 0.035 percent, respectively. The findings conclude that NCD poses significant economic burden in Fiji and recommend policy innovations in lessening the high risk of NCD among the Fijian population.

Tobacco smoking initiation among students in Samoa and health concerns

“…We further performed Hosmer-Lemeshow Goodness-of-Fit Test (see Table 2) to find out if our model is an excellent fit. Following the standard practice, see Liu [31], a group (10) option was used for our purpose. In our model, Hosmer-Lemeshow Chi-square test has a value of 10.27 with the associated p-value of 0.25 which is insignificant and therefore confirms that the model fits the data well.…”

“…In the Pacific Island Countries (PICs), tobacco smoking is widespread across the population and is one of the leading cause of noncommunicable diseases [8]. Despite large-scale consumption of tobacco, particularly among the youths [9] on one hand and rising incidents of NCDs such as cancer and heart disease on the other [10], factors that contribute to smoking in the young adult population in the region is less understood.…”

Sociocultural Influences Contribute to Overeating and Unhealthy Eating: Creating and Maintaining an Obesogenic Social Environment in Indigenous Communities in Urban Fiji

“…In Fiji, 84% of all deaths are caused by NCDs, and nearly a third of Fijian adults are at risk of dying prematurely due to NCDs [ 4 ]. The high rates of NCDs and premature death not only overburden the healthcare system and social services but also have devastating impacts on an already struggling and developing economy [ 5 ]. Moreover, there is mounting evidence for a relationship between the obesity epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in relation to the (1) adoption of poor dietary practices and increases in body mass index (BMI) during COVID-19 lockdowns (e.g., [ 6 , 7 ]) and (2) the heightened severity of the disease amongst obese young adults (e.g., [ 8 , 9 ]).…”

Planned Relocation and Health: A Case Study from Fiji

“…Villagers report that this is contributing to increased risk of NCDs among residents, particularly diabetes. This dietary transition is occurring widely in Fiji and the Pacific Islands; approximately, 75 percent of deaths in the Pacific Islands region are attributable to NCDs, and Fiji has one of the highest rates in the world with NCDs accounting for more than 80 percent of deaths [ 29 ]. In the Pacific, NCDs are attributable in large part to an increasingly Western diet including consumption of imported processed food that are energy dense but with low nutritional value, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles [ 30 ].…”