GIS – 03 April 2023: The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, underlined the need for health practitioners, all stakeholders concerned by the sector as well as different authorities at all levels of the Government, to interpret the findings of the Mauritius Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Survey 2021 and take the necessary preventive measures.
The Minister was speaking, this morning, during the official launching of a dissemination workshop on the findings of the Mauritius NCD Survey 2021 at Hennessy Park Hotel, in Ebène.
He highlighted that the findings demonstrate crucial information about the prevalence of NCDs in the country, namely different diseases pattern and, most importantly, the disease burden that will be felt in the coming years.
Dr Kailesh Jagutpal also urged clinicians to take these findings into consideration and to make the necessary changes in their day-to-day practice so that they are able to, in turn, make a change in the lifestyle of their patients. This response will help curb the curve of the NCDs prevalence, thus contribute in building a healthier Mauritius with a brighter future, he remarked.
As for the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia, she rejoiced that Mauritius is keen to make much effort to increase the healthy life expectancy of its population. The NCD Survey she said, will enable the Government to elaborate important strategies and actions to tackle NCD morbidity and mortality.
The WHO Representative recalled that the WHO set forth in 2012, a target of reducing the prevalence of major NCDs by 25 % by 2025, which she emphasised, can be achieved in Mauritius following all the Governmental initiatives being undertaken. On that note, she reiterated the WHO’s support to Mauritius in accelerating the means to reach this target.
The 2021 Survey
The NCD survey 2021, the seventh one being carried out in Mauritius, was elaborated with the aim of defining appropriate intervention strategies to reduce disease and risk factor prevalence and to improve disease control.
The Survey sought to determine the prevalence and study the trends in the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and Pre-diabetes; hypertension and cardiovascular disease; retinopathy and nephropathy; asthma and their associated risk factors. Persons aged between 20-74 years were the study’s participants. A total of 3,622 people responded positively to the survey.
Key findings:
Diabetes
The prevalence of diabetes since 1987 which stood at 14.3% has shown an increase till 2015, that is, denoting 22.9%. After which it has numerically decreased in the last 2021 survey, and now stands at 19.9%.
The standardised prevalence of Type 2 diabetes was 19.9%, with 21.6% among men and 18.5% among women. Most participants with diabetes were already known cases of diabetes, amounting to 14%, whilst the prevalence of newly diagnosed diabetes was 5.9%.
Furthermore, the survey indicates that following the new findings of the Mauritius NCD Survey 2021, as per the International Diabetes Federation, Mauritius is now ranked 12th instead of 8th.
Hypertension
Prevalence of hypertension stood at 27.2% (26.9% – men; and 27.5% – women).
Overweight
Prevalence of overweight was 36%, with 38.7 % in men and 33.8% among women.
Obesity
Obesity prevalence stood at 36.2%, 29.9% among men and 41.6% among women.
High cholesterol
Prevalence of High cholesterol stood at 34.8%, with 39.6% among men and 30.8% among women.
Smoking
Smoking prevalence stood at 18.1%, with 35.3% among men and 3.7% among women.
Asthma
Prevalence of asthma among adults stood at 7.5%, 6.8% among men and 8% among women.
Alcohol consumption
The prevalence of harmful alcohol consumption stood at 15.4%, 26.3% among men and 4.5% among women. Highest prevalence was seen among the 25-34 years age group (19%).