Unhealthy Behaviours: An International Comparison

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally.
• The spread of NCDs is exacerbated by the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles.
• There is a need for a standardized measure of population-level exposure to NCD risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a composite statistic, the Unhealthy Behaviour Index (UBI), to quantify national average population exposure to key modifiable NCD risk factors.
• To rank countries based on their population's engagement in unhealthy behaviors such as excessive alcohol consumption, caloric intake, poor diet, and tobacco use.

Main Methods:

• Adaptation of the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI) methodology.
• Inclusion of four core indicators: alcohol consumption, excess caloric intake, non-balanced diet, and tobacco use.
• Analysis of data from 112 countries for the period 2012-2014.

Main Results:

• Belarus and the Russian Federation exhibit the highest UBI scores, indicating the unhealthiest NCD-related lifestyles.
• The top 20 countries with the highest exposure to preventable NCD risk factors are predominantly European, particularly from Eastern Europe.
• The UBI generally correlates with the Human Development Index (HDI), but significant variations exist within development levels.
• Economic growth's impact on unhealthy behaviors varies: positive elasticity below $30,000 income per capita, becoming negative in very high-income countries.

Conclusions:

• The UBI provides a novel tool for assessing and comparing national-level population exposure to NCD risk factors.
• Geographic and developmental disparities in unhealthy lifestyles are evident, with a concentration in Eastern Europe.
• Understanding the complex relationship between economic development and lifestyle choices is crucial for targeted public health interventions to combat NCDs.