Centre for Global Health: Non-communicable Diseases
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung diseases, and diabetes, are the primary causes of morbidity and mortality globally.

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About our research
Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or 17.5 million people annually, followed by cancers (8.2 million), respiratory diseases (4 million), and diabetes (1.5 million). Over three quarters of NCD deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. The United Nations declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets calls for by 2030, a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment. Their risk factors have traditionally been the backbone of international and global health research at the institute. We currently have projects in Myanmar, Tibet, Palestine, Somalia/Somaliland and some of our projects are comparative studies of risk factors of NCD’s in different populations.
News and publications
- COVID-19 & NCDs (WHO)
- UiO: Life Science Convergence Area - ANTHROTOX
- GBD 2015: from big data to meaningful change
- Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 provides GPS for global health 2030
- Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.
- Worldwide trends in blood pressure from 1975 to 2015: a pooled analysis of 1479 population-based measurement studies with 19·1 million participants
- Worldwide trends in diabetes since 1980: a pooled analysis of 751 population-based studies with 4·4 million participants
- A century of trends in adult human height
- Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014: a pooled analysis of 1698 population-based measurement studies with 19·2 million participants
Projects
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STIGMADERM - Stigmatization experience of patients with common skin diseases - Florence Dalgard
- MY-NORTH: Health and Sustainable Development in Myanmar - Espen Bjertness
- Non-communicable diseases and associated factors in Myanmar - Aung Soe Htet / Espen Bjertness
Research groups
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology - Espen Bjertness