Non-Communicable Diseases

Module leads

Ruth Travis

 Fiona Bragg

overview

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of death and disability globally. This module will address the burden of NCD worldwide, examining their risk factors, challenges faced in studying the epidemiology of these conditions, and approaches to their prevention and control. The aim of the module is to increase understanding of the epidemiology of those NCD that make the highest contribution to morbidity and mortality globally, including cardiometabolic diseases, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and musculoskeletal disorders. Strategies will be considered for the prevention and control of NCD at both population and individual level, across low, middle and high income settings.

Learning objectives:

• To assess the global burden of NCD, exploring differences in the distribution and long-term trends between low, middle and high income settings;
• To appraise current understanding of risk factors for NCD, including an evaluation of key knowledge gaps;
• To discuss the application of advanced epidemiological techniques and emerging technologies to identify and evaluate traditional and novel risk factors for NCD;
• To explain the translation of epidemiological evidence into strategies for the prevention and control of NCD across different income settings.

sessions

1. Major concepts in non-communicable diseases epidemiology
2. An introduction to molecular epidemiology
3. Post-modern epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases
4. Cancer
5. The changing face of global breast cancer epidemiology
6. Musculoskeletal disorders
7. Cardiovascular diseases with a focus on ischaemic heart disease
8. Stroke
9. Obesity and diabetes
10. Implementation