Mobilising the world for chronic NCDs

Abstract

The Lancet's third Series on chronic diseases and development, starting today, comes at a crucial crossroads in the fight against non-communicable diseases. In 9 months' time, the world will have a historic opportunity to give these diseases the recognition and response they deserve when UN member states gather in New York for the first UN High-level Meeting on non-communicable diseases in September, 2011. 1 Department of Public Information, UNPress conference on General Assembly decision to convene Summit in September 2011 on non-communicable diseases. http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2010/100513_Diseases.doc.htmDate: May 13, 2010 Google Scholar Raising the priority of preventing chronic diseases: a political processChronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic obstructive respiratory diseases, are neglected globally despite growing awareness of the serious burden that they cause. Global and national policies have failed to stop, and in many cases have contributed to, the chronic disease pandemic. Low-cost and highly effective solutions for the prevention of chronic diseases are readily available; the failure to respond is now a political, rather than a technical issue. Full-Text PDF Health, agricultural, and economic effects of adoption of healthy diet recommendationsTransition to diets that are high in saturated fat and sugar has caused a global public health concern, as the pattern of food consumption is a major modifiable risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases. Although agri-food systems are intimately associated with this transition, agriculture and health sectors are largely disconnected in their priorities, policy, and analysis, with neither side considering the complex inter-relation between agri-trade, patterns of food consumption, health, and development. Full-Text PDF Tackling of unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and obesity: health effects and cost-effectivenessThe obesity epidemic is spreading to low-income and middle-income countries as a result of new dietary habits and sedentary ways of life, fuelling chronic diseases and premature mortality. In this report we present an assessment of public health strategies designed to tackle behavioural risk factors for chronic diseases that are closely linked with obesity, including aspects of diet and physical inactivity, in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. England was included for comparative purposes. Full-Text PDF Prevention and management of chronic disease: a litmus test for health-systems strengthening in low-income and middle-income countriesNational health systems need strengthening if they are to meet the growing challenge of chronic diseases in low-income and middle-income countries. By application of an accepted health-systems framework to the evidence, we report that the factors that limit countries' capacity to implement proven strategies for chronic diseases relate to the way in which health systems are designed and function. Substantial constraints are apparent across each of the six key health-systems components of health financing, governance, health workforce, health information, medical products and technologies, and health-service delivery. Full-Text PDF Monitoring and surveillance of chronic non-communicable diseases: progress and capacity in high-burden countriesThe burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases in low-income and middle-income countries is increasing. We outline a framework for monitoring of such diseases and review the mortality burden and the capacity of countries to respond to them. We show data from WHO data sources and published work for prevalence of tobacco use, overweight, and cause-specific mortality in 23 low-income and middle-income countries with a high burden of non-communicable disease. Data for national capacity for chronic disease prevention and control were generated from a global assessment that was done in WHO member states in 2009–10. Full-Text PDF