Health leaders, advocates and community stakeholders pose for a photo following a presentation of the Commonwealth’s latest Non-Communicable Disease and Associated Risk Factors Hybrid Survey results on Nov. 14, 2024.
(Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.) — Health leaders, advocates and community stakeholders gathered on Nov. 14, 2024, for a presentation of the Commonwealth’s latest Non-Communicable Disease and Associated Risk Factors Hybrid Survey results, marking a significant milestone in the territory’s public health monitoring efforts.
The hybrid survey revealed key trends in non-communicable diseases and associated risk factors across the CNMI’s population. These findings are particularly significant as NCDs, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, continue to be leading health concerns in the Pacific region.
“Our goal is to disseminate these results so that our community leaders, decision and policy makers have the information they need in order to make data-informed decisions around policies, programs, and interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of our CNMI people”, said Director Heather Pangelinan, CHCC Public Health Services.
“As many in the field of public health know, accessing healthcare is just a small piece of the puzzle. Factors such as health behaviors, like tobacco and alcohol use, environmental risks, and socio-economic factors including income, access to quality education or healthy food, employment, and community safety have a far greater impact on an individual’s health outcomes. For this reason, we are looking to engage with partners from across various community sectors to be able to implement policy, systems and environmental changes to prevent health problems, improve health outcomes, and promote equity within the CNMI,” Pangelinan added.
The dissemination event brought together healthcare professionals, community leaders, and public health experts who discussed the implications of the findings and potential strategies for addressing identified health challenges. Participants engaged in productive discussions focused on identifying priority areas and potential evidence-based interventions to be implemented to address them.
The survey results will inform public health policies and programs, with a particular focus on engaging cross sector partners to be able to maximize efforts and community reach. Health officials announced plans to develop a CNMI NCD plan to define goals, objectives and interventions to address key findings from the survey.
The 2023 CNMI Non-Communicable Disease and Associated Risk Factors Hybrid Survey report will be made available to the public in December 2024.
