SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on activity in the UK to reduce the NHS burden for treating some of the major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Urgent action is needed to meet global targets to reduce the burden of NCDs, and to prevent 16 million premature deaths every year – before the age of 70 – from heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer and diabetes, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The report found that most premature NCD deaths are preventable. Of the 38 million lives lost to NCDs in 2012, 16 million (42%) were premature and avoidable – up from 14.6 million in 2000.
The WHO report states that premature NCD deaths can be significantly reduced through government policies to reduce tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, and delivering universal healthcare. In Brazil, for example, the NCD mortality rate is dropping 1.8% per year due, in part, to the expansion of primary healthcare, according to the WHO. The report provides the baseline for
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