cathy

Patterns of chronic diseases also vary within countries, although high-quality subnational data are still hard to find (see box, page 5, "Data sources for select chronic diseases and risk factors"). Urban populations overall are more likely to TAG Heuer Aquaracer Automatic TH-93 affected by cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity than rural populations, as are higher- wealth quintiles. This maybe changing in some places, however (and has already changed in most developed countries). A recent analysis found that obesity trends are shifting toward the poor in developing countries.12 The 2007 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Ukraine, one of the few to include data on hypertension, showed higher rates among rural than urban women and among women in lowerwealth quintiles.13 A similar pattern by wealth status was reported in a WHO study of rural Vietnam.14

Assumptions that chronic diseases affect mainly older populations and men should also be reconsidered in most settings. According to one estimate, 44% of all premature deaths worldwide are due to chronic disease,15 and TAG Heuer Aquaracer Chronograph TH-97 majority of disability due to chronic disease occurs in those between the ages of 30 and 59 years.1 Figure 1 demonstrates that chronic diseases cause a substantial number of deaths among women aged 15 to 44 years in many countries; the authors ofthat analysis go so far as to say that "cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes are the important causes of female death even TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz Chronograph TH-49 childb earing years and for women with young families."16 Additionally, rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes are roughly equal in men and women worldwide, and rates of obesity and overweight are notably higher in women than in men in many countries (Table I).11,17

Addressing chronic diseases in developing countriesAddressing the growing chronic disease burden will require building on or modifying existing approaches and systems for low- and middle -income settings as well as developing novel approaches. One of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Quartz Chronometer TH-80 and most important tools will be high-quality information on the risk factor profile of the population to help focus policy and programming.1 Some currently available data sources on chronic diseases and risk factors are highlighted in the box on page 5. For examples of approaches to addressing chronic diseases in developing countries, see the box on page 6.