The march of obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease seems unstoppable. Conditions such as these, together branded non-communicable diseases or NCDs, cause and in rich and poor countries alike.
Appropriately alarmed, the World Health Organization has invested heavily in . Its efforts have traditionally focused on bioscience, pharmaceutical treatment and public health messages.
But let鈥檚 be clear 鈥� such efforts have not dented the worrying rise in these conditions. That鈥檚 why the WHO is shifting its focus.
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The global health community has long acknowledged that social, political and economic environments are than genetics, biology and individual choice: the conditions in which we are born, live, work and age and over which individuals have little control are more important for health.
Prioritise prevention
That鈥檚 not to say that lifestyle choices 鈥� conscientiously eating that last sad-looking banana or choosing yoga over Netflix tonight 鈥撀燼ren鈥檛 important. They are. Just less important than 鈥撀燼nd often shaped by 鈥撀�, schooling, access to ultra-processed foods and levels of tobacco and alcohol tax. Only by influencing these can the tide be turned. First we need to properly understand them.
Much has been written on the and we have a good knowledge of stroke and diabetes on a similar level. By contrast we are still struggling to fathom how the outsized health impact of socioeconomic inequalities can be reduced. Even less space has been given to understanding the , the health impact of and the regulation of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods.
Progress requires bringing in researchers from law, economics, sociology and political science. That鈥檚 what the WHO鈥檚 is doing. It was set up late in 2014 for precisely this task 鈥� coordinating such efforts to combat the major causes of chronic diseases, rather than looking for new ways of treating symptoms.
That鈥檚 not to say that the WHO has simply ditched drugs. Director-General Margaret Chan has described the of treating those who have fallen ill whilst trying to prioritise prevention.
Obesity explosion
A case in point is China. An 鈥溾�� in rural youth has been building there over the past three decades. It would be wrongheaded to believe that medication or appeals to change behaviour are sufficient. China鈥檚 blistering economic rise has lifted people out of poverty since 1990, bringing sedentary jobs and processed foods to agricultural communities that once laboured in the fields.
Similar economic and nutritional transitions are occurring worldwide, spurring the rising tide of NCDs and demanding viable political, economic and societal solutions.
Encouraging more research into these 鈥� however complex they may be 鈥� will be vital for stemming the seemingly inexorable rise of non-communicable diseases.
