Selected Topics - Non Communicable Diseases

Events

• School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW - Upcoming Events

Global policies and related documents

• Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control
  As the magnitude of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to accelerate globally, the pressing need for increased awareness and for stronger and more focused international and country responses is increasingly recognized. This atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control is part of the response to this need. It documents the magnitude of the problem, using global cardiovascular mortality and morbidity data. It demonstrates the inequities in access to protection, exposure to risk, and access to care as the cause of major inequalities between countries and populations in the occurrence and outcome of CVDs. The report has graphs showing mortality rates of CVDs by age, by country/region, and is divided into three main sections: Section A: Cardiovascular diseases due to atherosclerosis; Section B: Other cardiovascular diseases; [and] Section C: Prevention and control of CVDs: Policies, strategies and interventions. [publication overview] [World Health Organization, in collaboration with the World Heart Federation and the World Stroke Organization, 2011]
• Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010: Description of the global burden of NCDs, their risk factors and determinants
  "This report sets out the statistics, evidence and experiences needed to launch a more forceful response to the growing threat posed by noncommunicable diseases. While advice and recommendations are universally relevant, the report gives particular attention to conditions in low- and middle-income countries, which now bear nearly 80% of the burden from diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. The health consequences of the worldwide epidemic of obesity are also addressed. The report takes an analytical approach, using global, regional and country-specific data to document the magnitude of the problem, project future trends, and assess the factors contributing to these trends. As noted, the epidemic of these diseases is being driven by powerful forces now touching every region of the world: demographic ageing, rapid unplanned urbanization, and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles. While many chronic conditions develop slowly, changes in lifestyles and behaviours are occurring with a stunning speed and sweep. The consequences for societies and economies are devastating everywhere, but most especially so in poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. These people get sicker sooner and die earlier than their counterparts in wealthier societies. In large parts of the developing world, noncommunicable diseases are detected late, when patients need extensive and expensive hospital care for severe complications or acute events. Most of this care is covered through out-of-pocket payments, leading to catastrophic medical expenditures. For all these reasons, noncommunicable diseases deliver a two-punch blow to development. They cause billions of dollars in losses of national income, and they push millions of people below the poverty line, each and every year.” [World Health Organization (WHO), April 2011]
• Noncommunicable diseases: country profiles, 2011
  "In April 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) released the first Global status report on noncommunicable diseases outlining the statistics, evidence and experiences needed for a more forceful response to the growing threat posed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Building on this earlier publication, this report provides an overview of the NCD situation in each WHO Member State. Each country profi le provides the number, rates and causes of deaths from NCDs; the prevalence of selected risk factors; trends in metabolic risk factors in each country; and information describing current prevention and control of NCDs." [World Health Organization 2011]
• The Global Economic Cost of Cancer
  On August 16 [2010], the American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG® released the Global Economic Cost of Cancer report summary. This report, authored by Society researchers Rijo M. John, Ph.D., director of international tobacco control research, and Hana Ross, Ph.D., strategic director of international tobacco control research, is a first-of-its-kind study on the economic cost of all causes of death globally, including cancer and other noncommunicable diseases and communicable diseases. The report shows that cancer has the greatest economic impact from premature death and disability of all causes of death worldwide. The economic toll from cancer is nearly 20 percent higher than heart disease, the second leading cause of economic loss ($895 billion and $753 billion respectively). This figure does not include direct medical costs, which would further increase the overall economic impact of cancer. [report summary] [American Cancer Society and Livestrong - 2010]

Reports, guidelines and projects

• A pan-European comparison regarding patient access to cancer drugs
  "The availability of modern cancer treatments varies widely from country to country. In order to inform the debate on to how to prioritise healthcare, it is essential to have as accurate as possible a knowledge base of the current distribution of resources and their uptake by the medical profession and patients. In this report, Wilking and Jönsson have surveyed access to and uptake of new anticancer drugs across the European states. They have reviewed data from 19 countries accounting for 447 million people, or 76% of the total population in Europe (excluding Russia and Turkey); after excluding Norway and Switzerland, this constitutes 96% of the total population of the 25 EU member states. Their report focuses on the treatment of common cancers such as breast, lung and colorectal cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and aspects of palliative medicine using the example of malignant metastatic bone disease..."
• A public health approach to cervical cancer control: Considerations of screening and vaccination strategies
  Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death among women living in low-resource settings. In the last 3 decades, cytologic screening has – in theory – been available and yet more than 6 million women have died of this preventable disease. The necessary resources, infrastructure, and technological expertise, together with the need for repeated screenings at regular intervals, make cytologic screening difficult to implement in poor countries. As noncytologic approaches for the detection of HPV, simple visual screening methods for anogenital lesions caused by HPV, and the availability of an HPV-16/18 vaccine will enhance the linkage between screening and treatment, multiple factors will need to be considered when designing new, or modifying existing prevention strategies. Country-specific decisions regarding the best strategy for cervical cancer control will need to rely on data from many sources and take into account complex epidemiologic, economic, social, political, and cultural factors, and be made despite uncertainty and incomplete information. A rigorous decision analytic approach using computer-based modeling methods enables linkage of the knowledge gained from empirical studies to real-world situations. This chapter provides an introduction to these methods, reviews lessons learned from cost-effectiveness analyses of cervical cancer screening in developed and developing countries, and emphasizes important qualitative themes to consider in designing cervical cancer prevention policies. [author abstract] [International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2006) 94 (Supplement 1), S95-S105]
• Chronic Disease: An economic perspective
  "This major report, 'Chronic disease: an economic perspective', written by Marc Suhrcke, Rachel A. Nugent, David Stuckler and Lorenzo Rocco for the Oxford Health Alliance, demonstrates that chronic diseases – heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes – are having a negative economic impact on both the developed and developing world and should thus be adequately addressed by domestic and international policy makers."
• Epidemiology of Chagas Disease in Ecuador. A Brief Review
  Chagas disease is a complex public health problem that has been underestimated in Ecuador. Here we review the relevant published information, and present unpublished and new data that help to understand the current Chagas disease epidemiological situation and its evolution in the country. Three main characteristics have been identified: (i) persistence of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in already known foci; (ii) a marked endemicity in some urban areas of Guayaquil; and (iii) the transformation of new Amazon foci into truly endemic areas. The situation in other suspect areas remains uncertain. Five Triatominae species have been implicated in the transmission of T. cruzi to people in Ecuador (Triatoma dimidiata, Rhodnius ecuadoriensis, R. pictipes, R. robustus and Panstrongylus geniculatus), but some others may also play a role in some areas (P. rufotuberculatus, P. howardi, T. carrioni and P. chinai). Other Triatominae reported seem to have little or no epidemiological relevance (T. venosa, T. dispar, Eratyrus mucronatus, E. cuspidatus, P. lignarius and Cavernicola pilosa). High frequency of acute cases and severe chronic disease has been observed. Although cardiomyopathy is more frequent, serious digestive disease is also present. It is estimated that around 120,000-200,000 people may be infected. 2.2 to 3.8 million people are estimated to live under transmission risk conditions. [author abstract] [Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 94, Suppl. I: 387-393, 1999]
• From burden to “best buys”: reducing the economic impact of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries
  "The content of this report stems from the work published in two separate reports, one led by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health, and the other developed by the World Health Organization… There is growing awareness and concern about the large and escalating burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) not just from the public health perspective but also from the economic one. The social burdens associated with the four diseases that are the focus of the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs – cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases – include prolonged disability, diminished resources within families and reduced productivity, in addition to tremendous demands on health systems. This report addresses current information gaps in our understanding of how to mitigate these challenges by highlighting recent findings about the social costs of NCDs and the resource needs for managing these conditions… Policy-makers, members of civil society and business leaders all face the issue of how best to respond to the challenges posed by NCDs. This overview of two recent reports supplements existing knowledge by demonstrating not only the economic harm done by NCDs but also the costs and benefits related to addressing them." [World Economic Forum and World Health Organization, 2011]
• Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection
  Published in March 2003, by the US National Cancer Policy Board, US Institute of Medicine, this report examines the evidence for dramatic reductions of cancer cases and deaths and calls for an effective national strategy to optimise the promise cancer detection and prevention
• Interventions Related to Obesity - A State of the Evidence Review
  This paper, published by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, reviews the state of evidence of obesity interventions. It presents a summary of the challenges described in a number of comprehensive reviews of evidence of effectiveness of interventions that were carried out in recent years, either from a broad focus on social and behavioral research and health promotion, or from a specific focus on obesity.
• Global Health Governance and the Challenge of Chronic, Non-Communicable Disease
  This paper considers how we can conceptualize a “global response” to chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) - including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and tobacco-related diseases. These diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in developed countries, and also in developing countries outside sub-Saharan Africa. The paper reviews emerging and proposed initiatives for global NCD governance, explains why NCDs merit a global response, and the ways in which global initiatives ultimately benefit national health outcomes. As the global response to NCDs matures, and the number of initiatives and partnerships increases, it will become increasingly important to map their respective contributions, and to evaluate progress overall. It is not yet clear what institutional mechanism, if any, will rise above the sea of surrounding initiatives to play this global role. This paper therefore aims to provide a conceptual map for making sense of what individual initiatives contribute to global governance. This map also draws attention to the distinctively “global” public health functions that a global response to NCDs should seek to discharge. [author abstract] [Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 10/123 [also published in Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 490-507, 2010]]
• Implementing National Diabetes Programmes in Latin America
  The prevalence of diabetes in Latin America will double within the next couple of decades. Type 2 diabetes is already among the first 10 causes of mortality in the Latin American adult population due to chronic complications related to premature and accelerated atherosclerosis. It is also estimated that around one third of these women and half of these men remain undiagnosed for years. Latin America must, therefore, be prepared for an epidemic with serious consequences. In the face of this epidemic, awareness campaigns in the form of national diabetes programmes are being created to improve treatment and access to healthcare services. These measures, however, will increase the already overwhelming demand for diabetes care. [publication summary] [Diabetes Voice, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp.6-10, December 2001]
• Inequity in Cancer Care: A Global Perspective
  "There is enough evidence to assert that people with a lower socioeconomic status experience greater cancer incidence and shorter survival rates after diagnosis. Yet, socioeconomic status, a function of income, education and occupation, does not itself cause cancer or poor outcomes. Rather, it is a marker for the underlying physical and social factors that cause the disease, its recurrence and its eventual outcome. Lower socioeconomic status can lead to access problems along the entire spectrum of care, starting from early detection issues to the delays in diagnosis after the appearance of initial symptoms. Apart from logistical barriers to access, people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to remain uninformed about early detection programmes and disease management, including the early signs, symptoms and availability of cancer treatment. Lastly, but certainly not least important, the quality of available care may vary with socioeconomic status… The present publication examines the issues related to disparities in cancer, focusing on socioeconomic factors, and addresses the problem of access to cancer therapy, in particular to radiation oncology services, underlining access to cancer therapy for women and children in particular." [Human Health Reports No. 3, International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, Vienna, 2011]
• Making Chronic Conditions Count: Hypertension, Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes – A systematic approach to estimating and forecasting population prevalence on the island of Ireland
  "Chronic diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality, and result in poorer quality of life for many people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In both jurisdictions there are also considerable financial costs to health and social care, and to the economy. Accurate estimates and forecasts of the population prevalence of chronic diseases help us identify need, plan and develop disease prevention and management programmes, and monitor performance. This important study shows that we can expect a substantial rise in the number of people living with a chronic disease. This is because our population is growing, ageing and lifestyle risk factors such as obesity are becoming more common. The study’s importance is all the greater as most chronic diseases and their complications are preventable. Previously the Institute of Public Health in Ireland systematically developed estimates and forecasts for diabetes at national and local levels. Those figures have been widely used and made a significant contribution to policy, service planning and public health practice. This new study extends that systematic approach to hypertension, coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack) and stroke as well as updating earlier diabetes figures. It documents the chronic disease epidemic we are facing over the next 15 years and the challenges posed to our population, our health and social care systems, and our economies. It describes the unequal way in which the burden of chronic disease is distributed in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and highlights the pressing need for a greater emphasis on prevention, tackling health inequalities and addressing the social determinants of health. This requires action across government and by many sectors. Considerably greater benefits can be achieved by influencing policies of the non health sector than by health policies alone." [The Institute of Public Health in Ireland, February 2010]
• Microdistribution of Sylvatic Triatomine Populations in Central-Coastal Ecuador
  Chagas disease is a serious public health problem in Ecuador, where nearly 230,000 individuals show Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Sylvatic T. cruzi transmission is a threat to current control strategies. This is because of the possibility of house reinfestation by sylvatic triatomines after insecticide treatment. This work quantiŞed the spatial distribution of triatomines in sylvatic habitats and its relationship with nearby human dwellings. A simple random sampling design using live-baited traps and manual searches for triatomines was used in areas near human communities in Manabí province, Ecuador, during June and July 2007. We identified risk factors associated with triatomine density using generalized linear models, and developed predictive maps for triatomine density interpolation. There were 345 triatomines belonging to the species Rhodnius ecuadoriensis and Panstrongylus howardi collected in sylvatic areas. Spatial analyses revealed an aggregated distribution pattern of the sylvatic triatomine populations (clustered mostly at a distance smaller than 100 m). Generalized linear models showed that the distance from the nearest house, nest type, and height from ground level were the main factors explaining triatomine densities. Squirrel nests (Sciurus stramineus), located in plants other than palms, above 5 m and close to the domicile presented higher infestation. Interpolation maps of triatomine microdistribution are presented as potential tools to predict triatomine occurrence. The presence of sylvatic populations and the synanthropic tendency of the vectors highlight the need for continuous active and passive entomological surveillance for the long-term control of Chagas disease. [author abstract] [Journal of Medical Entomology, Vol. 47, no. 1, pp.80-88, January 2010]
• National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose and diabetes prevalence since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 370 country-years and 2·7 million participants
  Background: Data for trends in glycaemia and diabetes prevalence are needed to understand the effects of diet and lifestyle within populations, assess the performance of interventions, and plan health services. No consistent and comparable global analysis of trends has been done. We estimated trends and their uncertainties in mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diabetes prevalence for adults aged 25 years and older in 199 countries and territories. Methods: We obtained data from health examination surveys and epidemiological studies (370 country-years and 2·7 million participants). We converted systematically between different glycaemic metrics. For each sex, we used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate mean FPG and its uncertainty by age, country, and year, accounting for whether a study was nationally, subnationally, or community representative. Findings: In 2008, global age-standardised mean FPG was 5·50 mmol/L (95% uncertainty interval 5·37—5·63) for men and 5·42 mmol/L (5·29—5·54) for women, having risen by 0·07 mmol/L and 0·09 mmol/L per decade, respectively. Age-standardised adult diabetes prevalence was 9·8% (8·6—11·2) in men and 9·2% (8·0—10·5) in women in 2008, up from 8·3% (6·5—10·4) and 7·5% (5·8—9·6) in 1980. The number of people with diabetes increased from 153 (127—182) million in 1980, to 347 (314—382) million in 2008. We recorded almost no change in mean FPG in east and southeast Asia and central and eastern Europe. Oceania had the largest rise, and the highest mean FPG (6·09 mmol/L, 5·73—6·49 for men; 6·08 mmol/L, 5·72—6·46 for women) and diabetes prevalence (15·5%, 11·6—20·1 for men; and 15·9%, 12·1—20·5 for women) in 2008. Mean FPG and diabetes prevalence in 2008 were also high in south Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and central Asia, north Africa, and the Middle East. Mean FPG in 2008 was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, east and southeast Asia, and high-income Asia-Pacific. In high-income subregions, western Europe had the smallest rise, 0·07 mmol/L per decade for men and 0·03 mmol/L per decade for women; North America had the largest rise, 0·18 mmol/L per decade for men and 0·14 mmol/L per decade for women. Interpretation: Glycaemia and diabetes are rising globally, driven both by population growth and ageing and by increasing age-specific prevalences. Effective preventive interventions are needed, and health systems should prepare to detect and manage diabetes and its sequelae. [author abstract] [The Lancet, 25 June 2011 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60679-X]
• Planning and Implementing Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Programs: A Manual for Managers
  "The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes this initiative from the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP) to provide a manual for program managers at regional and local levels in developing countries. It draws upon their collective experience from implementing research and demonstration projects using new approaches to screening and treatment, and it does so in a variety of geographic and sociocultural settings and for a range of resource levels. This general, how-to manual responds to the fundamental challenge of moving from policy to actually organizing, implementing, and monitoring newly developed programmes or strengthening existing cervical cancer prevention and control programs. It complements WHO’s managerial guidelines for National Cancer Control Programs, and WHO publications on Cervical Cancer Screening in Developing Countries, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)/WHO Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Volume 10: Cervix Cancer Screening, and the upcoming WHO Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Control: A Guide for Essential Practice for health care providers." [Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP), Seattle, 2004]
• Preventing Chronic Disease: A Vital Investment
  This WHO global report makes the case for urgent action to halt and turn back the growing threat of chronic diseases. It presents a state-of-the-art guide to effective and feasible interventions, and provides practical suggestions for how countries can implement these interventions to respond successfully to the growing epidemics. Pdf 200 pages
• Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity
  "Chronic disease, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease, is responsible for more than 60% of all deaths globally and is projected to account for 47 million deaths annually in the next 25 years. The economic consequences – driven by productivity reductions and increases in costs caused by these noncommunicable diseases among workforces – are dramatic. The WHO estimates that between 2005-2015, income loss (in international dollars) could rise to as much as $558 billion in China, $237 billion in India, $33 billion in Russia and $33 billion in the UK. Not restricted to developed nations or older populations, the problem is growing fastest in low- and middle-income countries, and almost half of those who die from chronic diseases are in their productive years. Countries like Brazil, China, Russia and India currently lose more than 20 million productive life-years annually to chronic disease, and that number is expected to grow by 65% by 2030."
• Priorities for cardiovascular health in the Americas: key messages for policymakers
  "In 2007, 1.5 million people died of cardiovascular disease in this Region (30% of deaths from all causes), 662,011 people had ischemic heart disease (299,415 women and 362,596 men), and 336,809 had cerebrovascular disease (183,689 women and 153,120 men). This is a highly complex issue in Latin America and the Caribbean, where approximately 40% of the deaths occur prematurely at the most productive stage of life when the economic and social impact is considerably higher, and the resulting disability rate imposes an inordinately heavy burden on individuals, families, and health systems… Cardiovascular disease is unevenly distributed, is found more often among the poor, and has a catastrophic impact on government and household economies due to treatment costs and the loss of potential years of life and productivity caused by premature death and disability. These diseases undercut poverty reduction efforts and contribute to widening health disparities." [Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Washington, D.C., 2011]
• Providing Access to Modern Treatments and Influencing Policy in Orphan Diseases: The International Experience and Evidence from the UK
  "The term "orphan condition" is used to describe conditions that affect a very small number of patients in a given population. Most of these conditions are currently untreatable. They can either have a genetic cause or a significant genetic component....It is evident that the existence of a large number of orphan conditions afflicting small numbers of patients in a given population generates a number of interesting issues for policy makers. These entail knowledge of actual numbers of sufferers, their access to services, availability of treatments, and research into orphan conditions aiming to develop future treatments, and putting orphan diseases on the agenda of decision-makers with a view to developing policies for patients."
• The Burden of Cancer in Developing Countries
  "Although the 21st century has seen remarkable advances in early cancer detection, treatment and prevention, the incidence, prevalence and mortality rates for all types of cancers have increased worldwide. According to the most recent edition of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Cancer Report, the global cancer burden doubled in the last thirty years and is estimated to double again between 2000 and 2020 and nearly triple by 2030. Worse still, large disparities in the global cancer burden exist. Until recently, cancer was considered a disease of Western, industrialized countries. Today, the situation has changed considerably. More than half of the global cancer burden is now borne by developing countries (i.e., those with low- and medium-income economies). The WHO estimates that in 2007, about 72 percent of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. By 2020, an estimated 60 percent of all new cancer cases will occur in the least developed nations (i.e., the subset of poorest countries). In contrast, in 1970, the developing world accounted for only 15 percent of newly reported cancers." [Global Health Council, June 2010]
• The challenge ahead: progress and setbacks in breast and cervical cancer
  The IHME policy report The Challenge Ahead: Progress and Setbacks in Breast and Cervical Cancer outlines global, regional, and country trends in cancer cases, deaths, and risks over the past three decades. This is the first global assessment of country-specific trends in breast and cervical cancer for all countries by age, and the findings were simultaneously published in The Lancet on September 14, 2011. The research shows the number of cases and deaths from breast and cervical cancer are rising in most countries, especially in the developing world where more women are dying at younger ages. For breast cancer, cases more than doubled around the world in just three decades, a pace that far exceeds global population growth. During the same period, breast cancer deaths increased at a slower rate than cases, reducing the risk of death for women in developed countries, and indicating that screening and treatment programs are having an impact. On the other hand, cervical cancer cases and deaths increased overall at nearly the same pace, with 76% of new cases occurring in developing regions. If current trends continue, within the next two decades women under 50 will die as often from breast and cervical cancer as from maternal causes in developing countries. Given these trends, the report lays out recommendations for policymakers, including gathering more data through expanded cancer registries, implementing new techniques in verbal autopsy where countries lack vital registration systems, conducting further studies on health policies to understand why the progress in some countries is not shared by others, and implementing further cancer control strategies. [publication overview] [The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2011]
• The global economic burden of non-communicable diseases
  "In this report, the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health try to inform and stimulate further debate by developing new estimates of the global economic burden of NCDs in 2010, and projecting the size of the burden through 2030. Three distinct approaches are used to compute the economic burden: (1) the standard cost of illness method; (2) macroeconomic simulation and (3) the value of a statistical life. This report includes not only the four major NCDs (the focus of the UN meeting), but also mental illness, which is a major contributor to the burden of disease worldwide. This evaluation takes place in the context of enormous global health spending, serious concerns about already strained public finances and worries about lacklustre economic growth. The report also tries to capture the thinking of the business community about the impact of NCDs on their enterprises." [World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health, September 2011]
• The growing danger of non-communicable diseases: acting now to reverse course
  "The aim of this note is to support policy makers in lower- and middle-income countries, as well as the development community, in taking action across sectors to effectively address the growing crisis of NCDs amongst other national and global priorities. The World Bank’s support to policy makers in addressing the NCD challenge builds on its work in strengthening development and improving health outcomes in middle- and lower-income countries. This work complements the World Bank’s strong commitment to supporting the MDG agenda. The Bank stands ready to help countries, particularly those dealing with a ‘double burden’ of disease, to shape strategies to achieve their MDG targets, and build the evidence, for both middle and lower income countries, to effectively respond to the NCD challenge, while resolving the inevitable tradeoffs that policymakers will face in allocating national health budgets." [The World Bank, Human Development Network, Conference Edition, September 2011]
• The role of public health in addressing lower prevalence chronic conditions: The example of epilepsy
  "The purpose of this report is to assist state health departments and other interested organizations in identifying and understanding the role of public health in addressing epilepsy." [CDC, July 2003]
• Toward a Healthy and Harmonious Life in China: Stemming the Rising Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases
  "China’s 12th Five-year Plan (2011–2015) aims to promote inclusive, equitable growth and development by placing an increased emphasis on human development. Good health is an important component of human development, not only because it makes people’s lives better, but also because having a healthy and long life enhances their ability to learn, acquire skills, and contribute to society. Indeed, good health is a fundamental right of every human being. Good health among a population can also enhance economic performance by improving labor productivity and reducing economic losses that arise from illnesses. While China has had an enviable economic growth and development performance for more than 30 years, its human development has lagged behind the most advanced economies… China could narrow… gaps in human development vis-à-vis these countries by identifying the priority health issues affecting its population, mustering political support to overcome them, and implementing appropriate interventions, as described below. China has made impressive gains in recent decades to control communicable diseases, ushering in an opportunity to confront non-communicable diseases (NCDs), its leading cause of ill health, premature mortality, and disability. Taking advantage of this opportunity would enhance the health and welfare of China’s population. Challenges abound, but with a carefully laid-out approach, China can lead the way globally in tackling NCDs and advance its social and economic development in the decades ahead." [World Bank, July 2011]
• What is known about the effectiveness of economic instruments to reduce consumption of foods high in saturated fat and other energy dense foods for preventing and treating obesity
  This is a Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report summarising the available evidence concerning the effectiveness of economic instruments (including taxes, price policies and incentives) in containing or reducing food consumption, particularly of foods high in saturated fats and other energy-dense foods. Available evidence suggests – but does not demonstrate – that introduction of policy-related economic instruments, particularly in the form of taxes and price policies, could reduce food consumption, including of high saturated fat and other energy-dense foods, and increase the purchasing of healthful foods.
• WHO MONICA Project
  The MONICA (Multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) Project was established in the early 1980s in many Centres around the world to monitor trends in cardiovascular diseases, and to relate these to risk factor changes in the population over a ten year period. This site outlines the results of the project and provides links to subsequent publications.
• Women and Autoimmune Diseases
  78% of people affected by autoimmune diseases are women. The reasons for this high prevalance among women is unknown though circumstantial evidence has linked autoimmune diseases with previous infection. Sex hormones are also believed to play a role. This report addresses the implications of these links.

Educational resources

• Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke
  This atlas, produced by WHO is a comprehensive resource on cardiovascular disease designed for use by policy makers, national and international organisations, health professionals and the general public.
• CancerWeb
  CancerWeb provides information about cancer for clinicians and patients; educational resource site for health care professionals; communication between trainees in oncology; collection of information relevant to oncology and development of information systems and means of distribution.
• CDC Center for Chronic Disease Prevention (USA)
  Today, chronic diseases—such as cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke), cancer, and diabetes—are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. This site from the US National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion outlines the CDC's chronic disesase control programs and provides links to additional information including publications such as guidelines and recommendations.
• ChronicIllNet
  ChronicIllnet aims to give everyone from patients to researchers to the general public, equal access and opportunity to information about chronic illnesses. It also immediately brings to light research that is promising, but sometimes less visible or less accessible and provides a forum for discussion and encourage researchers to share data and discuss findings.
• Diabetes Monitor
  This site monitors the internet for information about diabetes. It provides information, education and support for people with diabetes.
• OncoLink
  The mission of OncoLink which is mainained by the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania is to help cancer patients, families, health care professionals and the general public to access accurate cancer-related information at no charge.
• World Health Organisation Observatory on Health Care for Chronic Conditions
  This site provides information and resources to people around the world who aim to improve health care for chronic conditions. It offers hands on information for policy makers, health managers and administrators on innovative approaches to organising care for chronic conditions.

Organisations and Networks

UN and multinational

• WHO - Cancer
  This site outlines the World Health Organisation's Cancer Control Strategy, including information on national cancer control programmes, prevention, screening and early detection strategies, treatment options and palliative care.

Government

Non Government

• American College of Preventive Medicine
  The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is the national professional society for physicians committed to disease prevention and health promotion. Its members are engaged in preventive medicine practice, teaching and research and serve on ACPM committees and task forces and represent preventive medicine in national forums.
• Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (USA)
  The Comprehensive Health Education Foundation is committed to addressing the issues most pertinent to the health and well-being of today’s society. To this end it provides the skills, information and resources that people of all ages need to live safe and healthy lives.
• International Association for the Study of Pain
  IASP is a non-profit professional organisation dedicated to furthering research on pain and improving the care of patients with pain. Membership in IASP is open to scientists, physicians, dentists, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, and other health professionals actively engaged in pain research and to those who have special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of pain.
• International Taskforce for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease
  The aim of this taskforce is the diffusion at an international level of easily assimilable information on the prevention of coronary heart disease for physicians, medical professionals and the public.
• Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention
  The Stanford Prevention Research Center is an interdisciplinary research program involving several departments in the School of Medicine. The mission of the Center is to be a premier academic center that improves population health through interdisciplinary research and teaching, focusing on: the environmental and bio-behavioral determinants of chronic disease; and the development, testing, and dissemination of innovative chronic disease prevention strategies.
• World Federation of Hemophilia
  The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders.

Academic Institutions with particular focus in this area

Key Conferences, conference and workshop reports

Conference reports

Journals, Newsletters, Forums

Bibliographies, Libraries

Public health bookshops

• Public Health bookshop