Noncommunicable Diseases

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Environment
Household air pollution persists in Africa and Asia

Where Household Air Pollution Causes the Most Harm

by Fiona Bennitt, Michael Brauer

According to a new study, exposure to household air pollution remains a leading risk factor for disease and early death

Poverty
A man walks away from a bus that was involved in a disastrous head-on collision with tractor-trailer, in Macheke, Zimbabwe, in January 2024.

Zimbabwe's Bus Disaster and the Deadly Cost of Defunding Global Health

by Darren Cuthbert

Global cooperation could reduce disparities in emergency care, but the United States cut programs for disaster relief

Surja Devi Saud practices Chaupadi outside her house, in Achham District, Nepal, on February 16, 2014. Chaupadi is a tradition observed in parts of Nepal, where women sleep outside while menstruating.
Gender

When Endometriosis Causes Mental Illness

by Mohammad Saeed Gharaati Jahromi

Despite endometriosis's links to psychiatric conditions, health systems fail to train doctors to spot these connections

Tsegy Kiday, a 34-year-old displaced single mother of five, holds her 14-month-old daughter Mebrihit Hintsa, in Nebelet, Tigray region, Ethiopia, on July 11, 2021.
Gender

"Power of Joy": New Film on Childbirth During Ethiopia's Civil War

by Mariel Ferragamo

The documentary follows a girl who survived a harrowing childbirth to become an ambassador for women's health

A boy shows fish to the photographer after fishermen returned from a trip on their boats, in the small fishing village of Ban Nam Khem, Thailand, on December 9, 2009.
Food

Small Fish: Big Nutritional Impact

by Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Ben Wismen

Incorporating indigenous small fish into local diets can deliver health benefits to communities facing malnutrition

A worker transports therapeutic food in a United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund warehouse, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on April 22, 2016.
Food

How Innovations in Gut Health Can Help Treat Global Hunger

by Heather Stobaugh

Advancements in gut microbiome research could strengthen existing hunger treatments and prevent malnutrition relapse

An elderly woman attends a class run by the Ujamaa self-defense program, in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 23, 2015.
Aging

The Weaponization of Witchcraft Laws in Kenya

by Frank Burkybile

Poorly understood land rights and an aging population are fueling Kenya's eldercide epidemic

Bar chart illustrating the aging population in South Carolina from 2013 to 2023, focusing on the 65 to 74 age group. The chart highlights the significant growth in this demographic, with the population increasing from 439,093 in 2013 to 621,496 in 2023. The 65 to 74 age group is emphasized as having the greatest growth among other age ranges.
Aging

South Carolina Addresses the Geriatrician Gap

by Anika Nayak

The state is leading efforts to care for its aging population by recruiting elder-care specialists

Luciana Souza, MD, compares two different chest x-rays of a patient as she talks to a colleague at a field hospital set up to treat COVID-19 patients.
Governance

Health, Latin America, and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence

by Carlos Javier Regazzoni

Multiple crises burden health systems in the region, but AI offers potential for progress

Recently arrived migrant families and others stand in line for a free meal provided by a Lutheran Church.
Migration

U.S. Migration Surge Draws Attention to Mental Health Care

by Vida Foubister

New York City-based projects adapt mental health services used in low- or middle-income countries to an urban context

A line graph titled 'Gun Violence Leads U.S. Childhood Deaths' compares deaths by firearms and motor vehicle accidents among children and adolescents in the United States from 2018 to 2022. The vertical axis shows the number of deaths, ranging from 3,200 to 4,400. Firearm deaths, represented by a red line, surpass motor vehicle accident deaths, represented by a blue line, beginning around 2020. In 2022, firearms killed 4,608 children.
Governance

Solutions to U.S. Gun Violence Hinge on Election

by Sarah Muthler

Physicians are working to improve patient safety education but rely on research funding that is in doubt

A community health worker evaluates a baby for malnutrition.
Governance

Mali Prioritizes Child Survival During Armed Conflict

by Fatoumata Nafo, Ari Johnson

Improving access to free health care decreased child mortality by 63% over three years

India's Government Spends Less and Patients Pay More: In 2021, India spent less on health care than other countries with a similar GDP; half of the spending was out of pocket
Poverty

India's Cancer Burden Drives Generational Poverty

by Parth Sharma, Vid Karmarkar

India should protect its people not just from cancer, but also from the financial strain of treatment

Southern States Eat Fewer Fruits and Vegetables: In 2021, nearly 57% of Alabama residents had a low-fruit diet and 75% of residents had a low-vegetable diet.
Food

The Last Mile of Nutrition

by Louisa Ewald, Kate LeGrand, Ali H. Mokdad, Gregory A. Roth

Introducing a new way to measure the health impacts of community-based food programs and farmers markets