Prevention and control of CNCDs in Costa Rica and the United States: Opportunities for international collaboration

The increasing occurrence of common chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes, in Costa Rica (CR) and the United States (US) provides a unique opportunity for collaboration in assessing and addressing the underlying risk factors. Most of the CNCDs, some of the leading causes of death in both countries, are currently manageable but do not have a cure. Reducing the physical and fiscal impact of CNCDs in both nations then requires efforts to bring about a sustained reduction in associated risk factors. Formative research using the World Health Organization Global InfoBase (Global Burden of Disease data, 2002) reveals that both CR and the US have similar cause-specific mortality for several NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, respiratory diseases and cancers, while notable differences are seen with digestive diseases and neuropsychiatric conditions. Deaths due to CNCDs in both nations can be traced to occurrence of manageable risk factors such as improper diet, lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity, smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. A comparative analysis of the occurrence of these risk factors from Global InfoBase sources reveals both similarities and differences. Two key strategies for prevention and control include: i) research to explain the similarities and differences in the occurrence of risk factors, and ii) increasing the capacity of the health workforce in chronic disease prevention and management. Successful implementation of such initiatives can reduce the impact of CNCDs leading to better health outcomes and more productive lives in both nations.