Goa launches landmark 20-year health study to address non-communicable diseases

Goa has launched a Longitudinal Cohort Study in collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre and Oxford University to address non-communicable diseases.

Transcript

00:00Goa's Longitudinal Cohort Study, in collaboration with the Tata Memorial Center and Oxford University,

00:13is a critical step in addressing the global health challenge of non-communicable diseases.

00:19By gathering long-term data on risk factors and disease patterns, the initiative aims

00:24to develop effective prevention strategies, ensuring a healthier future for the state's population.

00:30The study was launched in the presence of Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant,

00:34supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for advancing healthcare in India.

00:55The study will initially cover 1,20,000 individuals in selected areas of North and South Goa,

01:03with annual random sampling of 40,000 individuals over the next 20 years, starting with a three-year first phase.

01:11Researchers aim to gain valuable insights into the long-term trends and determinants of non-communicable diseases,

01:18paving the way for targeted prevention and management.

01:24Cohort studies help us to investigate lifestyle, environmental and genetic risk factors of any diseases.

01:33You can actually diagnose early kidney diseases, maybe early cardiovascular diseases, obesity.

01:39These things will be diagnosed early and thus you can plan the intervention quite early.

01:44The concerning rise in diabetes, hypertension and the troubling increase in heart attacks and strokes among Goa's youth

01:52have prompted doctors to urgently advocate for the longitudinal cohort study.

01:57Goa has the highest number of diabetic patients, Goa also has the highest number of hypertension patients

02:03and we are also seeing young people getting heart attacks and young people are getting strokes.

02:09So considering this kind of a presentation at present, it was felt necessary to tie up with Tata Hospital

02:17to know how to learn epidemiology of these conditions.

02:21Once we select one population, then that population we are going to follow them regularly for next 20 years.

02:27So we know what changes are occurring, what new things are occurring.

02:31This will be a very long-term study which will determine policy decisions, strategy decisions,

02:38how the things can be changed, what guidance we should give to the people.

02:42Through this pivotal study, experts hope to identify key risk factors early,

02:47providing actionable data to guide efforts in combating the rise of non-communicable diseases locally and globally.