Editorial: culture, ethnicity and chronic conditions: reframing concepts and methods for research, interventions and policy in low- and middle-income countries

Chronic physical and mental conditions constitute a significant proportion of the global burden of disease. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are disproportionately affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2008), four major chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes cause an estimated 60% of all global deaths, with an estimated 80% of these deaths occurring in LMICs. Similarly, an estimated 14% of the global disease burden is attributable to common mental disorders like depression and anxiety disorders; almost 75% of these disorders occur in LMICs (WHO 2010). In high-income countries of Europe and North America, the pattern of high chronic disease risk, disability and death persists among migrant populations from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, despite higher standards of living and improved health infrastructure (Agyemang et al. 2009; Davies et al. 2011; Dressler et al. 2005)