July 2025

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are one of the main health problems in Paraguay and constitute an important challenge for health systems due not only to the high burden of disease they produce, but also to the difficulty of measuring them.

Two national surveys on NCDs and risk factors —the WHO’s STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance (STEPS) —were carried out in 2011/2012 and 2022. The results have helped inform the development of plans and policies aimed at the control of NCDs in Paraguay. Although both surveys show changes in the behavior of different NCD risk factors, such as the decrease in tobacco consumption or the increase in alcohol consumption, there was a need to conduct deeper analysis to identify patterns of inequality.  

The Data Impact Program supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) to analyze the STEPS data with the goal of better understanding inequalities. To do this, the data were stratified by age, sex, geographic location, and indigenous populations (applicable to STEPS 2011/2012 only). In 2011/12, the indigenous population had higher tobacco consumption and lower consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to the non-indigenous population. Men had higher levels of alcohol consumption than women in the population overall, but the gap was more pronounced in the indigenous population, although alcohol consumption was lower in the indigenous population. Alcohol consumption was also higher in urban areas in both 2011/12 and 2022. The findings highlighted the need to implement integral, intersectoral interventions that incorporate the cultural, social and territorial particularities of indigenous communities.

The NCD Surveillance Directorate of the MoH will present these results in various scientific spaces through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating social sciences, public health, anthropology and sociology with the aim of informing better targeted, more effective public health policies that are more mindful of cultural diversity.