Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Abstract

The Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2017 study assessed 476 risk-outcome pairs from 1990 to 2017 to quantify risk factors contributing to deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In 2017, GBD risk factors accounted for 34.1 million deaths and 1.21 billion DALYs globally, with high blood pressure, smoking, high fasting plasma glucose, high body-mass index, and short gestation leading the risks. Between 2007 and 2017, risk-attributable DALYs declined by 4.9%. The study found that development trends in certain risk factors, such as unsafe drinking water and household air pollution, were slower than socioeconomic development, indicating that risk structures in populations are not changing as quickly as development. Inversely, exposure to smoking and alcohol are declining per socioeconomic levels. The study emphasizes the value of the GBD in providing synthesized data for informed health policy and planning. The research was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. – AI-generated abstract.