Epidemiology & Public Health

Biography

Biography: Kamolthip Vijitsoonthornkul

Abstract

Background

Thailand has passes through the demographic and epidemiologic transition since the beginning of the 1960s¹.  Nowadays, three out of four died from non-communicable diseases and of those 55% was premature deaths before age of 70 years. Non-communicable diseases become the highest  burden diseases. To formulate effective intervention and guideline for non-communicable disease prevention and control as well as to education people on health turn into the key components of  strategies to decrease non-communication diseases. The information of monitoring and assessment of behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases, as well as availability of health services, is needed for such effective strategies. Thailand initiated the establishment of the Thai Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Thai BRFSS) since 2005. The system aims to set up collection data on basic health status and behavioral risk factors by regular periodic survey. The health survey with multi-stages sampling in general population aged 15-79 years has conducted every three years. Over ten years period, the health data-based has accumulation four rounds survey data. The objective of the study is to monitor trends in major behavioral risk factors by Thai Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data between 2005 and 2015.      

Methodology 

 This study uses the four round survey datasets between 2005 and 2015 from Thai Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The information was collected by face to face interview with the same standard questions every round. In addition to weight and height were measured during the survey. The NCD surveillance indicators followed to USA Center of Disease Control and World Health Organization were analyzed with 9.3 SAS Program (Statistical Analyses System). The prevalence, age adjusted prevalence and relative percentage change were performed to monitor trends.   

Results

The results showed the estimated prevalence had highest increased in obesity (BMI >30.0 Kg/m²) from 3.0 to 7.5. After adjusting age adjusted prevalence, the percentage difference was 155%. While prevalence of overweight (BMI > 25.0 – 29.9 Kg/m²) had raised from 16.1 to 30.5 over this period and the percentage difference was 94%. In addition, the estimated prevalence trends of current alcohol drinking were from 37.4 to 36.2, and the percentage difference was 1.6%. The same as binge drinking prevalence slightly increased from 14.0 to 13.6 and the percentage change was 2.9%. While the rest alcohol consumption indicator had been quite different or higher increasing as heavy drinking was from 3.6 to 7.3 or the percentage difference was 97.4%. For adequate physical activity prevalence had declined from 91.5 to 82.2 with decreasing the percentage change - 9.9%.  Over this period, the current smoke prevalence slightly declined from 22.3 to 21.3 and the percentage change decreased -1.4%. The adequate fruit and vegetable consumption prevalence (or average greater than 5 serving per day in the past 7 days) increased from 17.4 to 24.3 and the percentage change was 40.1%.          

Discussion

Our analysis show that the trends of risk factors reflect to overall progresses in implementation of preventive measures. Increasing obesity and overweight are of public health concern. Public policies on unhealthy diet, physical inactivity had been endorsed immediately. Considering, the multisectoral policy response required to address risk factors reduction is essential strategy. As the result of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was forced for tobacco control in the past two decades². The impacts of the tobacco measures display the trend of tobacco use in slow progress.  

Recommendation           

This finding suggests that it is essential to monitor and evaluation changing risk factors continuously. Accordingly, there is a need for development of national strategy in non-communicable disease surveillance in appropriate and useful direction, as well as enhancement of comprehensive knowledge and understanding in using indicators for accurate identification of risk factors and detect changes over time.