Examining the Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases among Elderly Individuals Aged 70 and Older in Jordan over Three Decades

Background This study investigates the trends in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the elderly population aged 70 and above in Jordan from 1991 to 2022. The elderly Jordanian population was targeted as it has vastly increased over the years, being approximately 6 times higher in 2021 than in 1991. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive insight on the burden of NCDs among Jordan’s elderly population .

Using data extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), incidence rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality rates associated with NCDs were analyzed.

The findings of this study reveal a significant increase in the total burden of NCDs over the three decades reaching an absolute DALYs number of above 262,000 by 2021. Elderly females appear to have a slightly higher burden of NCDs when compared to males over the specified time period of 1991 to 2021. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes were identified as the primary contributors to this increase and seem to have the highest two death rate ranks. However, when compared to global rates Jordan appears to have a 34% lower NCDs burden. The incidence rates appear to be stable with minimal change suggesting that the NCDs incidence has remained relatively constant in Jordan over the past three decades.

This upward trend underscores the escalating public health challenge posed by NCDs in Jordan’s aging population. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the changes in NCD burden and aims to inform healthcare policy and strategic planning to mitigate the impact of NCDs on the elderly in Jordan. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Global Burden of Disease (GBD). https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Footnotes Conflict of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf and declare: no support from any organization for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. Funding Statement: This study received no funding. Data Availability All data produced are available online at: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/