Review of Non-Communicable Disease Research Activity in Kuwait: Where is the Evidence for the Best Practice?

Abstract

Background: Kuwait, a small country in the Middle East, is now facing rapid development, with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounting for the majority of deaths. Objectives: In this study, we review trends in NCD research productivity in Kuwait and examine to what extent it is aligned with disease burden. Methods: Systematic mapping of NCD papers produced between January 2000 and December 2013 yielded 893 publications. These were defined according to study design, study focus, and risk factors examined. Research gaps were assessed by examining disparities between literature produced and cause-specific proportional mortality rates (PMR) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Findings: While annual publication rates increased more than two-fold during the study period, many of the study methodologies were descriptive (58%). Only 2.6% were based on high-evidence interventional studies. Cancer, CVD, and diabetes featured in 38.1%, 15.1%, and 9.2% of the publications, respectively. Compared to PMR and DALYs, there was a surplus of cancer research, most of which were laboratory-based studies (27.6%) or of the case-report/case-series study type (26.5%). Smoking was more likely to be addressed in relation to CVD (32.6%) than diabetes (6.1%) or cancer (2.1%). Physical inactivity was mostly examined in its relation to diabetes (14.6%), with negligible representation in the remaining study focus (range 0.3% to 2.2%). Conclusion: NCD research production in Kuwait is not aligned with disease burden or health priorities. We recommend a coordinated action between funding agencies, universities, and researchers in Kuwait to guide development of a comprehensive research agenda that is responsive to the country’s emerging needs.

The Socio-Demographic Characteristics Associated with Non-Communicable Diseases among the Adult Population of Dubai: Results from Dubai Household Survey 2019

“…Our results confirmed that the prevalence of chronic conditions increases with age in concordance with previously published studies in the UAE [33][34][35]. Other studies in the region have revealed similar findings related to the association of age with non-communicable diseases [27][28][29]36]. Obviously, the cumulative effect of NCDs over time and the degenerative process combined with aging contribute to the development of different types of NCDs.…”

The sociodemographic determinants of non-communicable diseases among the adult population of Dubai: self-reported data from Dubai household health survey, 2019

“…Furthermore, our results reveal that a number of non-modi able risk factors are associated with chronic diseases in this population. The high crude prevalence (15%) of chronic diseases found in this survey is in line with what has been reported previously across Arabian Gulf countries [19][20][21][22]. Because of logistical challenges, objective measures of chronic diseases did not provide adequate data for analysis.…”

“…Age has been found to be signi cantly associated with non-communicable diseases in many published studies in the UAE [27][28][29]. Other studies in the region have revealed similar ndings related to the association of age with non-communicable diseases [19][20][21]30]. The explanation for this observation is the cumulative effect of non-communicable diseases over time as well as the degenerative process combined with aging leading to and contributing to the development of different types of chronic diseases.…”

Identification of public health priorities, barriers, and solutions for Kuwait using the modified Delphi method for stakeholder consensus

“…In Kuwait, research on NCDs lacked focus and mainly involved descriptive studies. 7,57,70 Many strategic challenges impeding the success of primary health care are rooted in weak strategic inputs, including inter-sectoral collaboration but some encouraging evidence from programs, projects and studies suggests that inter-sectoral collaboration is feasible and vital. 9 This highlights the need for coordinated action between funding agencies, universities and researchers in Kuwait to help guide development of a comprehensive health research agenda that responsive to the country's emerging needs.…”