JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The knowledge of the burden of disease at the national level is crucial for understanding regional health patterns and epidemiological trends. Regular updates and methodological enhancements are essential to produce accurate estimates that effectively represent the current health landscape, thereby assisting policymakers in resource allocation and strategic planning.

Objective:

The objective of this study protocol is to revise the list of diseases and injuries, estimate years of life lost (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), disability-adjusted life years (DALY) in Phase One, and identify the list of risk factors, determine risk-attributable burdens in Phase Two.

Methods:

The Malaysian Burden of Disease (MBOD) study adopts the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) approach, employing various metrics to quantify health loss related to specific diseases, injuries, and risk factors. These metrics include deaths, YLL, YLD, and DALY, which are calculated in terms of counts, age-specific, and all-age rates. Additionally, this MBOD calculates risk-attributable deaths, YLL, YLD, and DALY for all relevant risk factors. This study also revises the list of diseases and injuries and enhances the methods for estimating the cause of death.

Results:

By December 2024, a comprehensive list of diseases and injuries had been developed, organized into three broad groups, 27 categories and 162 specific causes. The MBOD project comprises two phases: Phase One, which focuses on mortality and morbidity estimation, is now in progress, whilst Phase Two, which addresses risk factor estimation, is projected for completion in early 2026.

Conclusions:

This MBOD study offers a comprehensive and current framework for assessing the burden of disease in Malaysia, with continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the disease list and refine the methodology for more accurate estimation and risk factor analysis.