Objectives To investigate the association between urban–rural location and the occurrence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Yangon Region, and to estimate the proportion of urban and rural participants already diagnosed with DM, and of those, the proportion under treatment and under control. Design Two cross-sectional studies, using the WHO STEPs methodology. Setting The Yangon Region of Myanmar, urban and rural areas. Participants Men and women, aged 25–74 years, included during the study period from September–November 2013 (urban) and 2014 (rural areas) (n=1372). Institutionalised people, physically and mentally ill person, monks and nuns were excluded. Results The age-standardised prevalence of DM was 12.1% in urban and 7.1% in rural areas (p=0.039). In urban areas, the prevalence of DM was lowest in the highest educational groups (p<0.001). There were no differences in DM prevalence between gender or income levels. In rural areas, those who were physically inactive had a low intake of fruit and vegetable and were overweight/obese had a higher DM prevalence than others. In a logistic regression, the OR for DM in rural compared with urban areas was 0.38 (0.22, 0.65), adjusted for sociodemographic variables and behavioural risk factors. In urban areas, 43.1% of participants had the experience of receiving blood glucose measurements by a doctor or health worker, and 61.5% of all cases of DM were already diagnosed, 78.7% were under treatment and 45.8% were under control. The corresponding proportions in rural areas were 26.4%, 52.4%, 78.1% and 32.0%, respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of DM in the Yangon Region was high, and significantly higher in urban than in rural areas. More health services are needed to serve this population with a large proportion of undiagnosed diabetes. Preventive measures to halt and reduce the prevalence of DM are urgently needed.

Objectives: To investigate whether urban–rural location and socioeconomic factors (income, education and employment) are associated with body mass index (BMI) and waist–hip ratio (W/H-ratio), and to further explore if the associations between urban–rural location and BMI or W/H-ratio could be mediated through variations in socioeconomic factors. Design: Cross-sectional, WHO STEPS survey of non-communicable disease risk factors. Setting: Urban and rural areas of Myanmar. Participants: A total of 8390 men and women aged 25 to 64 years included during the study period from September to December 2014. Institutionalised people (Buddhist monks and nuns, hospitalised patients) and temporary residents were excluded. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher in the urban areas and increased with increasing socioeconomic status (SES) score. Mean BMI was higher among urban residents (ß=2.49 kg/m ² ; 95% CI 2.28 to 2.70; p<0.001), individuals living above poverty line, that is, ≥US$1.9/day (ß=0.74 kg/m ² ; 95% CI 0.43 to 1.05; p<0.001), and those with high education attainment (ß=1.48 kg/m ² ; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.82; p<0.001) when adjusting for potential confounders. Similarly, greater W/H-ratio was observed in participants living in an urban area, among those with earnings above poverty line, and among unemployed individuals. The association between urban–rural location and BMI was found to be partially mediated by a composite SES score (9%), income (17%), education (16%) and employment (16%), while the association between urban–rural location and W/H-ratio was found to be partially mediated by income (12%), education (6%) and employment (6%). Conclusion: Residents living in urban locations had higher BMI and greater W/H-ratio, partially explained by differences in socioeconomic indicators, indicating that socioeconomic factors should be emphasised in the management of overweight and obesity in the Myanmar population. Furthermore, new national or subnational STEPS surveys should be conducted in Myanmar to observe the disparity in trends of the urban–rural differential.

Myanmar is currently facing the burden of non-communicable diseases due to changes in lifestyle and dietary patterns linked to socio-economic development. However, evidence is scarce about changes in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) over time. We aimed to investigate changes in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of DM from 2004 to 2014, among adults aged 25–74 years, in the Yangon region. Two cross-sectional household-based studies, according to World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance (WHO STEPS) methodology, were conducted in 2004 (n = 4448) and 2014 (n = 1372). The overall age-standardized prevalence of DM was 8.3% (95% CI 6.5–10.6) in 2004 and 10.2% (7.6–13.6) in 2014 (p = 0.296). The DM prevalence increased between the study years among elderly participants only, from 14.6% (11.7–18.1) to 31.9% (21.1–45.0) (p = 0.009). Awareness of having DM increased from 44.3% (39.2, 49.6) to 69.4% (62.9–75.2) (p < 0.001). Among participants who were aware of having DM, the proportion under treatment increased from 55.1% (46.8–63.1) to 68.6% (61.5–74.8) (p = 0.015). There was no change in proportion with controlled DM. Adjusted for age, sex and education, mean fasting plasma glucose levels in 2014 were 0.56 mmol/L (0.26–0.84) higher than in 2004. Preventive measures to halt future increases in DM prevalence and to increase the detection of undiagnosed DM cases are needed.

Objective The first is to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidaemia (hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level), as well as the mean levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL, in the urban and rural Yangon Region, Myanmar. The second is to investigate the association between urban-rural location and total cholesterol. Design Two cross-sectional studies using the WHO STEPS methodology. Setting Both the urban and rural areas of the Yangon Region, Myanmar. Participants A total of 1370 men and women aged 25–74 years participated based on a multistage cluster sampling. Physically and mentally ill people, monks, nuns, soldiers and institutionalised people were excluded. Results Compared with rural counterparts, urban dwellers had a significantly higher age-standardised prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia (50.7% vs 41.6%; p=0.042) and a low HDL level (60.6% vs 44.4%; p=0.001). No urban-rural differences were found in the prevalence of hypertriglyceridaemia and high LDL. Men had a higher age-standardised prevalence of hypertriglyceridaemia than women (25.1% vs 14.8%; p<0.001), while the opposite pattern was found in the prevalence of a high LDL (11.3% vs 16.3%; p=0.018) and low HDL level (35.3% vs 70.1%; p<0.001). Compared with rural inhabitants, urban dwellers had higher age-standardised mean levels of total cholesterol (5.31 mmol/L, SE: 0.044 vs 5.05 mmol/L, 0.068; p=0.009), triglyceride (1.65 mmol/L, 0.049 vs 1.38 mmol/L, 0.078; p=0.017), LDL (3.44 mmol/L, 0.019 vs 3.16 mmol/L, 0.058; p=0.001) and lower age-standardised mean levels of HDL (1.11 mmol/L, 0.010 vs 1.25 mmol/L, 0.012; p<0.001). In linear regression, the total cholesterol was significantly associated with an urban location among men, but not among women. Conclusion The mean level of total cholesterol and the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia were alarmingly high in men and women in both the urban and rural areas of Yangon Region, Myanmar. Preventive measures to reduce cholesterol levels in the population are therefore needed.

The majority of vegetable oils used in food preparation in Myanmar are imported and sold non-branded. Little is known about their fatty acid (FA) content. We aimed to investigate the FA composition of commonly used vegetable oils in the Yangon region, and the association between the use of palm oil vs. peanut oil and risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD). A multistage cluster survey was conducted in 2016, and 128 oil samples from 114 households were collected. Data on NCD risk factors were obtained from a household-based survey in the same region, between 2013 and 2014. The oils most commonly sampled were non-branded peanut oil (43%) and non-branded palm oil (19%). Non-branded palm oil had a significantly higher content of saturated fatty acids (36.1 g/100 g) and a lower content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (9.3 g/100 g) than branded palm oil. No significant differences were observed regarding peanut oil. Among men, palm oil users had significantly lower mean fasting plasma glucose levels and mean BMI than peanut oil users. Among women, palm oil users had significantly higher mean diastolic blood pressure, and higher mean levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, than peanut oil users. Regulation of the marketing of non-branded oils should be encouraged.

Major progress has been made in improving the health of vulnerable populations, especially children and pregnant women in low and middle income countries after the launch of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000. While fewer children die, many now face the prospect of years lived with disability (YLD) from chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The estimate for the total YLD for children under-5 years of age for South-East Asia was 2,780,104 in 2015. To improve the health outcomes for children globally, the World Health Organization’s Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health has designated a number of collaborating centres, each with differing areas of expertise. The collaborating centres have formed a network to address children’s environmental health (CEH) issues at the local, national, regional and international levels. However, many gaps in knowledge exist. To further this aim, the 1st Regional Workshop of South-East Asian Children’s Environmental Health was held at the Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, on 18th November 2016. The workshop was attended by three of WHO Collaborating Centres with representatives of five regional countries of Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Workshops such as this one are designed to bring together researchers and policy makers from regionals areas to identify and close gaps in knowledge.