NCDs, disability and ageing: Interrelated challenges in the post-2015 era Alzheimer’s Disease International, Handicap International and NCD Alliance Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 91 Today just over a billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of the global population, experience a form of disability (Murray et al., 2012). These can be short- or long-term impairments and often place a person at a disadvantage for full, equitable participation in society. These barriers to economic opportunities and social services are exacerbated by poverty, with vulnerable populations, including women, children and older people, disproportionately affected. The epidemiological transition from communicable to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has contributed to this rise in global prevalence of disability. NCDs are now the leading cause of disability worldwide, as many people with NCDs are likely to develop impairments as the disease progresses. Although not a complete measure of the impact of disabilities, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 found that NCDs account for 54 per cent of all disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2010 (ibid). NCDs are estimated to account for 66.5 per cent of all years lived with disability (YLDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In fact, the top contributors to YLDs are all NCD-related – namely diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases, ischaemic heart disease and breast and prostate cancer. Changing population demographics Modern demographic patterns, including population growth, youth bulges and rapid demographic ageing, underpin both of these trends. The global population is expected to rise to more than nine billion people by the year 2050. Simultaneously, the world is ageing at an unprecedented rate. Today people over 60 years of age already outnumber children under five, with the fastest growth of the number of older persons occurring in LMICs (ODI, 2013). These shifting demographics are contributing to the rise in NCDs and disability, and have been recognised as important trends that must shape the post-2015 agenda. Older people are at increased Just over a billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of people alive today, have a form of disability Rob van Esch / Shutterstock.com
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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