KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s premature death rates (persons dying before their 75th birthday) as a result of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increased from 17 per cent in 2009 to 21 per cent in 2020.

Over this period, cardiovascular diseases and cancers contributed the highest share of potential years of life lost, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton has stated.

Tufton pointed to the worrying trend during a recent statement in the House of Representatives where he also provided an update on his ministry’s ‘Know Your Numbers’ (KYN) campaign to get Jamaicans to be aware of their health status.
“Despite the high prevalence of NCDs and risk factors, health-seeking behaviours remain low, and many Jamaicans are unaware of their health status,” Tufton lamented.

He noted that in 2017, only 59 per cent of hypertensive and 58 per cent of diabetic individuals aged 15 and older were aware of their condition, leaving approximately 301,000 and 129,000 persons, respectively unaware of their diagnosis.

He said it was in line with World Health Organization recommendations for early detection, screening and treatment as well as palliative care as key components of the NCD response that the Ministry of Health and Wellness launched the KYN healthy lifestyle initiative in May 2023. The initiative emphasises awareness of key health metrics, including cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index.

The aim was to conduct 500,000 screenings to help citizens identify their risk of chronic diseases, and to refer those with adverse results for further test and treatment. Additionally, through the KYN initiative, Jamaicans are to undergo screening on an annual basis to know their health status. Outreach efforts target the most vulnerable through mobile and community-based screenings.

Despite the efforts of the health ministry, the response has not been as robust as was anticipated. As of November 2024, the KYN initiative has conducted 220,639 screenings representing 44.1 per cent of the 500,000 target. Performance has varied across the Regional Health Authorities. The Northeast Regional Health Authority has achieved 83 per cent of its target, while Southeast Regional Health Authority recorded the lowest performance at 20.8 per cent.

The results of the number of screening tests conducted per test type as of November 2024 are as follows: blood glucose – 65,331 tests conducted representing 65.3 per cent of the target; blood pressure – 78,854 tests conducted representing 39.4 per cent of the target; body mass index (BMI) – 51,359 tests conducted representing 29.3 per cent of the target; blood cholesterol – 29,095 tests conducted representing 100 per cent of the target.
Of the total 220,639 screenings which have been conducted, for those identified, 66.3 per cent were females, while 33.7 per cent were males, representing a 2:1 female-to-male participation ratio.

Said Tufton “ This ratio is consistent with the overall male/female health-seeking behaviour pattern. When broken down by NCD risk factor screened for, females represented the majority in all screening test categories, accounting for 66.5 per cent of blood pressure, 67 per cent of blood glucose, 68.2 per cent of blood cholesterol, and 64.2 per cent of BMI.

Tufton shared that abnormal test results from the screening tests which have been conducted were most common for blood pressure and BMI screenings, often associated with hypertension and obesity, which are critical public health concerns. Persons whose results fall within the abnormal screening range: moderate to very high, were referred for follow-up care.