{"id":39485,"date":"2020-02-13T15:15:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T15:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjgh\/?p=39485"},"modified":"2020-04-15T21:35:20","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T21:35:20","slug":"call-for-papers-ncd-prevention-in-humanitarian-settings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjgh\/2020\/02\/13\/call-for-papers-ncd-prevention-in-humanitarian-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for Papers: NCD Prevention in Humanitarian Settings"},"content":{"rendered":"

BMJ Global Health<\/em>, in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee, the Conflict & Health Research Group at King\u2019s College London and the College of Health at Lehigh University, are pleased to announce a call for papers on Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Prevention in Humanitarian Settings<\/em>. Edited by BMJ Global Health associate editor<\/em> Dr. Eduardo J. G\u00f3mez of Lehigh University, Dr. Lilian Kiapi of the International Rescue Committee, and Dr. Preeti Patel of King\u2019s College London, this special issue will examine the response to NCDs in humanitarian conflict settings.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s conflict affected countries have some of the highest prevalence of NCDs globally. WHO estimates that diabetes, for example, affects 12% of adults in Syria<\/a>, 13.7% of adults in Libya<\/a>, and 7.7% of adults in Yemen<\/a>. Many refugee camps and settlements are no longer temporary accommodation; some have been home to displaced people for 3 or 4 decades, such as Kakuma and Dadaab in Kenya, and Mae La in Thailand. In those settings, NCDs are the leading cause of death and must be addressed. In addition to the four main risk factors \u2013 unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol \u2013 WHO recently added a fifth leading NCD risk factor: air pollution. Notably, poor air quality<\/a> could be responsible for up to a quarter of strokes and heart disease, a third of lung cancers, and almost half of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, preventing NCDs through aggressive monitoring and policy interventions is still not prioritized in these countries and settings. Primary prevention is not a priority during acute emergency and conflict situations. But secondary prevention measures are important in such scenarios. Patients with existing diagnoses of NCDs require continuity of care to prevent acute exacerbations and complications of their disease, and ultimately prevent premature deaths. Conversely, in long-standing and more stable contexts, such as refugee camps, primary prevention initiatives are possible. However, NCD prevention is seldom addressed in humanitarian contexts, and there is little evidence and research to guide the development of interventions. In 2015, a systematic review<\/a> highlighted the dire lack of research on NCDs in humanitarian contexts, and ELRHA has listed NCDs<\/a> as a priority research area.<\/p>\n

In addressing this lacuna in the literature, papers submitted to this series should consist of the following:<\/p>\n