A Scoping Review of Non-Communicable Diseases among the Workforce as a Threat to Global Peace and Security in Low-Middle Income Countries

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose a threat to public health. Although their impact on the workforce is widely recognized, there needs to be more understanding of how NCDs affect peace and security, particularly in low-middle-income countries. To address this, we conducted a scoping review and presented a narrative to explore how NCDs in the workforce threaten peace and security. Out of 570 papers screened, 34 articles, comprising 26 peer review and 8 grey literature, met the study criteria. Our findings reveal that while no study has drawn a direct relationship between NCDs in the workforce in LMICs and peace and security, several studies have demonstrated a relationship between NCDs and economic growth on one hand and economic growth and peace and security on the other. Therefore, using economic growth as a proximal factor, our findings show three pathways that link NCDs in the workforce to peace and security: (i) NCDs lead to low productivity and poor economic growth, which can threaten public peace and security; (ii) NCDs in the workforce can result in long-term care needs, which then puts pressure on public resources and have implications for public expenditure on peace and security; and (iii) household expenditures on caring for a family member with an NCD can destabilize families and create an unfavourable condition that threatens peace and security. This research highlights the dual threat of NCDs to health and security, as they impact human resources and community structures crucial for peace and security. The results underscore the importance of considering the workplace as a strategic setting for NCD prevention, which will have long-term implications for economic growth and peace and security.