A Systematic Review of the Rate of Attainment in Controlling Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR)

The overall causality of modern public health, especially in the field covered by the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), can be attributed to the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The review lists the adopted strategies, compares the successful and failed cases, and outlines the endemic setbacks to achieving global agenda progress.

Based on PRISMA, a literature search was conducted to identify articles published between January 2010 and December 2024 across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The studies that would have met the eligibility criteria are those concerning the WHO-specific categories of the NCDs and their risk determinants or interventions to control the disease as part of the EMR jurisdictions.

There was a total of fifty studies that met the inclusion criteria. Countries that had strong national action plans, that is, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, were observed to bear significant similarity in WHO goals, particularly in tobacco prevention and screening measures. Contrary to that, in Cairo (Egypt) and Baghdad (Iraq), NCD mortality was still high (76 and 78.4, respectively). Kuwait (37.8%) and Qatar (36.5) had the highest levels of obesity, and Saudi Arabia had the highest levels of diabetes prevalence (15.3).

Though implementation of policy directives has spread throughout the EMR, they are not strictly enforced or maintained.

Though there is gradual progress, EMR countries are still vastly below the WHO vision of 2025 to see a 25 per cent reduction of premature deaths due to NCDs. To mobilise effective action, the synthesis of country-specific and measurable evidence is of paramount importance.