BY James Kon

The Ministry of Health (MoH), in collaboration with Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), will conduct the 3rd National Health and Nutritional Status Survey (NHANSS) aimed to assess the prevalence and trends of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well as their risk factors among the citizens and residents of Brunei Darussalam, especially risk factors related to nutrition.

Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar announced the survey at the COVID-19 New Normal press conference on Monday.

He said the research consists of two phases with the first phase from October 2022 to January 2023 focussing on common risk factors among adults aged 18 to 69. The second phase will be from February 2023 to May 2023 targetting issues among children and pregnant women.

In the first phase, 5,762 households are expected to participate while some 3,000 households will be interviewed for the second phase. “For both phases, trained researchers will visit selected homes nationwide to interview family members and conduct inspections,” the minister said.

“I hope those selected for the survey will cooperate to ensure the research’s success, which will help the MoH evaluate the effectiveness of health strategies and programmes in the Sultanate, especially in the government’s efforts to prevent premature deaths from NCDs.”

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin