Non-Communicable Diseases and Health Indices of Adoles- cents in Jamaica: A National Perspective

Introduction: Of all human deaths in the world, in 2008, 63 percent are owing to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) of which 80 percent are in developing countries. In Jamaica for 2008, 50 percent of deaths occur to NCDs, especially among women and older people. The adolescence period is rarely seen for it contributory role to NCDs, which is the rationale for few research in the area among this cohort in English-speaking Caribbean. This study fills the gap in the literature by examining NCDs among adolescents. Objectives: The objectives are to examine the adolescence period as it relates to NCDs, evaluate health indices in this period and determine the prevalance of NCDs as well as disaggregate NCDs by socio-demographic characteristics.