Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors and Non-Communicable Diseases in Papua New Guinea: A Scoping Review

Bobby Porykali; Ryley Gronau; Phyllis Tran; Juliana Chen; Margaret Allman-Farinelli; Anna Rangan; Shelina Porykali; Robin Oge; Hans Nogua; Alyse Davies

doi:10.3390/ijerph22010102

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Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors and Non-Communicable Diseases in Papua New Guinea: A Scoping Review

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Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors and Non-Communicable Diseases in Papua New Guinea: A Scoping Review

Bobby Porykali, Ryley Gronau, Phyllis Tran, Juliana Chen, Margaret Allman-Farinelli, Anna Rangan, Shelina Porykali, Robin Oge, Hans Nogua and Alyse Davies

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.22(1), pp.1-22

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010102

PMID: 39857555

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Abstract

Papua New Guinea

Western Pacific region

Healthy Islands

non-communicable diseases

NCDs

modifiable behavioural risk factors

Often referred to as 'the last unknown', Papua New Guinea's largely unexplored environments across its four distinct regions, the Highlands, New Guinea Islands, Momase, and Southern, exhibit remarkable diversity. Understanding this diversity is significant in contextualising the risk factors associated with developing non-communicable diseases. This review aims to map and summarise the literature to provide region-specific prevalence data for risk factors and non-communicable diseases. Four databases and grey literature were searched. Two reviewers completed the screening and data extraction. Twenty-one studies were included, with five reporting the data by region and the remaining reporting the data nationwide. Six studies reported on risk factors, thirteen reported on non-communicable diseases, and two reported on risk factors and non-communicable diseases. The Southern region, which includes the Capital, Port Moresby, reported the highest prevalence for most risk factors: anthropometric (overweight, obesity, and waist circumference), lifestyle (betel nut, alcohol, unhealthy diet, and stress), and biochemical (cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, and metabolic syndrome). The findings of this review highlight the limited evidence base for region-specific risk factor data and the lack of objective diagnosis of non-communicable diseases. There were variations in the prevalence of specific risk factors by region; however, the Southern region stands out as requiring immediate attention for health promotion program interventions.

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Title: Regional Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors and Non-Communicable Diseases in Papua New Guinea: A Scoping Review
Authors: Bobby Porykali (Corresponding Author) - The George Institute for Global Health
Ryley Gronau - The University of Sydney
Phyllis Tran - The University of Sydney
Juliana Chen - The University of Sydney
Margaret Allman-Farinelli - The University of Sydney
Anna Rangan - The University of Sydney
Shelina Porykali - Griffith University
Robin Oge - National Department of Health
Hans Nogua - Port Moresby General Hospital
Alyse Davies - The University of Sydney
Publication details: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.22(1), pp.1-22
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph22010102
ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601
PMID: 39857555
Copyright note: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: Not applicable.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991104123302621
Output Type: Journal article

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