Amman, Sep. 28 (Petra) – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has released a report on Sunday titled "Protecting Lives and Promoting Well-being: Jordan’s Progress on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health," reviewing key health indicators and national efforts in these areas.

According to the report, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly 78 percent of all deaths in Jordan, led by cardiovascular diseases (29 percent), cancer (26 percent), diabetes (5 percent), and chronic respiratory diseases (2 percent). Nearly half of these deaths occur before age 70 due to high levels of risk factors, including physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.

The report found that 8 in 10 men use tobacco or nicotine products, while smoking rates are rising among women. Around 60 percent of adults are overweight or obese, a rate exceeding 80 percent among older women. One in three children aged 6 to 12 is overweight or obese.

It highlighted Jordan’s progress in addressing these challenges through national plans such as the National Tobacco Control Strategy (2024–2030), the National Nutrition Strategy (2023–2030), and the National Action Plan for Mental Health and Substance Use (2022–2026). Jordan also conducted the region’s first study on the economic rationale for investing in mental health.

The WHO report underscored expanded national efforts, including increasing smoking cessation clinics from five in 2019 to 29 in 2025, introducing a national plan to accelerate obesity prevention, integrating nutrition counseling into primary care, reformulating food products, applying clearer food labeling, and limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Jordan has also integrated NCD services into its primary health care package and adopted WHO technical packages such as "HEARTS," alongside mental health programs including "mhGAP" and "Healthy Thinking." It approved clinical protocols for hypertension, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and childhood cancer, while training health workers and participating in global initiatives such as the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer Control.

The report concluded that Jordan’s experience offers a regional model for strengthening prevention, improving health systems, and investing in combating NCDs and mental health, paving the way for a healthier future.

//Petra// AJ