WHO says Western Pacific to miss UN goal to cut early deaths from lifestyle diseases

By Mikhail Flores

MANILA (Reuters) - Western Pacific nations are unlikely to meet the United Nations target of reducing premature deaths from lifestyle-related diseases including cancer and diabetes, due to the slow decline in alcohol and tobacco consumption, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

Chronic lifestyle diseases, such as heart attacks, stroke, asthma and lung diseases, have been blamed for more than 80% of deaths among the 1.9 billion people in the Western Pacific.

The U.N. goal is to reduce early deaths by a third by 2030, and the region has so far cut premature mortality by over 25%.

“We anticipate we cannot meet the 2030 deadline," WHO Western Pacific senior official Kidong Park said in a briefing, adding that alcohol and tobacco consumption were among many risk factors.

Countries such as Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Solomon Islands even saw increases in premature deaths from lifestyle diseases between 2000 and 2019, bucking the overall decreasing trend across the region.

Park said the slow decline in alcohol and tobacco consumption is making it difficult to control lifestyle diseases, as the pace of reduction falls short of the target to reduce per capita alcohol consumption in a year and cut tobacco use by 40%.

“We need to reduce, decrease alcohol consumption. We need more to quit tobacco consumption," Park said.

Only Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu impose taxes at the "best-practice" level of at least 75% of retail prices, WHO said.

WHO senior official Hiromasa Okayasu also urged countries to tighten rules on e-cigarettes, citing "loose regulations" on some member states.

Reducing premature deaths from lifestyle diseases is among a wide-ranging set of targets under the sustainable development goals, which cover 17 indicators that include improving access to education and health care, providing clean energy and protecting biodiversity.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores)