Population trends and burden of disease profile in Somalia from 1990 to 2017

Abstract

In Somalia, general health indicators and information on the health trends are lacking. Somalia and countries globally aim to attain the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for health. This study aims to describe the trends in population health and disease burden in Somalia in the past 27 years and show the pattern of health transition across the country from 1990 to 2017.This cross-sectional study retrieved secondary data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) system. All health-related data were cleaned, captured, and descriptively analysed through SAS 9.4. We analysed Mortality rates, Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), Years of Life Lost because of premature death (YLLs), Years lived with disability (YLDs), Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE), and Age-Standardised Death Rate (ASD). Causes and risks of mortality and morbidity were categorised in communicable diseases (CMNN), non-communicable diseases (NCD) and injuries.Life expectancy has improved from 52.5 to 60.7 years old for females and 48.0 to 56.6 years old for males. The total causes of DALYs declined by 52% (from 120 860,71 to 58 321,04); YLD declined by 8% (from 9 957,15 to 9 152,86); and the YLLs declined by 54% (110 903,56 to 49 168,18) for both sexes. The maternal mortality rate declined by 34% (522,99 to 343,86) and under 5 mortality rate by 64% (5 176,54 to 1 899,17). CMNNs was the main cause of DALYs, NCDs for YLDs and CMNNs for YLLs in 2017. HALE saw a steady increase. CMNNs was the main cause of ASD in 1990 then declined and NCDs became the main cause of ASD in 2017.Somalia's health status has improved between 1990 and 2017, although certain geographically and societal factors still play an important role in rates not changing. Strengthened policies to address health and developmental challenges within Somalia is vital in achieving the SDG health goals.An analysis of the health system in Somalia was used to make recommendations and improvements in and for health outcomes.Information on health systems is an important topic and due to the challenges and changes in population demographics and patterns of disease, improving health care in a country like Somalia is vital.