Effectiveness of noncommunicable disease prevention in the regional context: current challenges and prospects

Аннотация

Strengthening the prevention of noncommunicable diseases at the regional level is gaining particular relevance under current socio-economic and security challenges that affect the resilience of the public health system. Aim to assess the effectiveness of regional noncommunicable diseases prevention programs using the Dnipropetrovsk region as an example, with consideration of current socio-economic challenges. A descriptive study with a retrospective analysis of programmatic and regulatory documents as well as secondary statistical and epidemiological data from international and national open sources was conducted. The information base included data from the WHO Global Health Observatory, the WHO European Health for All database, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the National Health Service of Ukraine analytical dashboards, the Public Health Atlas of Ukraine, documents of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and more than 70 scientific publications, of which 18 were selected for detailed analysis. A bibliosemantic approach, content analysis of strategic documents, analysis of the regulatory framework, descriptive and analytical statistics were applied using Microsoft Excel and R (version 4.3.1). Results. In 2021, the premature mortality rate from major noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma) in Ukraine was 24.8%, substantially exceeding the average rate in the European Region (15.6%). In Dnipropetrovsk region, premature mortality rates among those aged 30-59 were higher than the national average: by 12.9% for men from cerebrovascular diseases, by 24.1% for women, and by 12.3% for breast cancer. At the same time, the region demonstrated a 54.4% lower rate of premature mortality from diabetes compared with the national average, indicating the potential of effective preventive interventions. The analysis revealed a gap between declared prevention priorities and actual outcomes, driven by limited evidence, insufficient resource allocation, and the impact of the war. Conclusions. Optimization of regional noncommunicable disease prevention in Ukraine requires a revision of priorities with a focus on evidence-based and cost-effective interventions, the implementation of digital monitoring systems, and the integration of socio-economic and security considerations.