Research Theme

International Health

The Menzies Research Institute has been designated as a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) since 1990.

Click here to download new report - Survey of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus in Can Tho City of the Mekong Delta, southern Vietnam, 2005 (PDF 2.6 MB)

Menzies is one of the major population health institutes in Australia with expertise in the area of NCDs, and has been assisting countries in the Western Pacific region to plan and implement programs for the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease for more than a decade.

In the developing nations of the Western Pacific region, the burden of NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer has taken over from the traditional problems of infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, and disorders due to dietary deficiencies.

An example of a research project within the International Health research theme at the Menzies Research Institute:

Integrated surveillance system for non-communicable diseases in Vietnam

The aim of this project is to develop an infrastructure for a national non-communicable disease office in Vietnam. This is being done in order to be able to conduct regular surveillance of established and emerging non-communicable diseases that threaten the public health of the Vietnamese population.

In 2006 a project manager was recruited and relocated to Hanoi for the first year of the project. Sentinel sites for stroke surveillance in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were selected and a strategic plan developed.

Non-communicable disease surveillance and prevention in the Western Pacific region

As a technical support centre, the Institute plays a role in the development of the World Health Organisation (WHO) non-communicable disease surveillance systems known as STEPS. STEPS is a standardised approach promoted by WHO for measuring the prevalence of non-communicable disease risk factors in populations. The Institute was requested by WHO to make modifications to STEPS resources for data management, data analysis and data reporting. The Institute is also formulating a web-based system for storing and accessing data that has been generated from STEPS surveys. This system will be useful for the countries within the Western Pacific, and with modification, will have application in Vietnam.

For more information, contact:

Dr Rob Granger

WHO Collaborating Centre Coordinator

Telephone: (03) 6226 7742