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Explore the impact of urbanisation, globalisation, and business on the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Learn about the risk factors, chronic conditions, and the influence of corporations on public health.
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Urbanisation, globalisation and business:the story of NCDs Thomas Abraham
What we will explore today.. • Why the world is getting wealthier, but not necessarily healthier… • We have seen great advances in medicine so people no longer die of infectious diseases at a young age • Instead we are living longer, but also being sicker • Heart diseases, cancers and other chronic conditions are major global health issues
What are non-communicable diseases? • Diseases or conditions that are not transmissible, or caused by injury • Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases ( asthma, other pulmonary diseases) • Also referred to as chronic diseases
WHO Director General Margaret Chan: “The worldwide increase of non-communicable diseases is a slow-motion disaster, as most of these diseases develop over time”
What are the chronic diseases? • Cardiovascular disease: coronary heart disease and stroke Coronary heart disease, or ischaemic heart disease: leading cause of death globally; caused by atherosclerosis, or hardening of the blood vessels of the heart Stroke: Where the blood supply to the brain is affected by diseases of the blood vessels ( cerebrovascular disease)
Cancer: A range of diseases in which abnormal cells proliferate and spread out of control • Chronic respiratory illnesses: asthma, other pulmonary diseases that can obstruct breathing. Smoking, pollution are risk factors • Diabetes: When the body does not produce enough insulin, and/or an inability of the body’s cells to respond to insulin
Causes of chronic diseases (Source WHO)
Globalisation, business and disease • Many of the risk factors for non-communicable diseases arise from the activities of large global corporations • Tobacco, fast food chains, food industry,alcohol • Public health would say- regulate. Businesses say “consumers should have a choice”
Obesity • Raised BMI a risk factor for diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and several cancer • BMI- body mass index (weight/height squared) • 18.5-25 is considered normal
The way we eat and the way we live • Changes in the global food system major drivers of obesity epidemic • Increase in cheap, high energy food • Global distribution systems • Persuasive marketing • Our living environment Have all combine to create an epidemic of obesity
At the same time • The amount of energy we need to expend for our daily lives has decreased: • Demand for physical activity has decreased in our life styles • Our built environment : transportation systems, elevators, escalators etc all are geared towards reducing our energy use. • We live in an “obesogenic environment”
What can be done • Individual action: ie going to the gym, eating healthier, is not not enough • Policy changes are required, because this is a larger environmental issue • “Obesity is the signal that something is terribly wrong in the policy environment. Widespread obesity in a population is not a marker of failure of individual willpower, but of failure in policies at the highest level.” Margaret Chan, WHO
What policy makers want to see • Regulation of advertising and marketing by food companies to children • Ban fast food in schools • Regulation/reduction of high calorie, low nutritional value foods • Global food processing industry is a giant worth over US $1 trillion.
Poor countries face a “double burden” of disease: both infectious diseases as well as a growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
Big Tobacco • “The only legally sold product that kills upto half its users.”
Big 5 tobacco companies • China National Tobacco company (33.7% of global share) $26.8 bill. rev • Philip Morris International (17.6%) US$ 81.8 bill. rev • British American Tobacco ( 15.1%) US$ 43 bill. rev • Japan Tobacco International (6.4%) US$ 37.4 bill • Imperial Tobacco (3.6%) US$ 21.5 billion rev.
Big tobacco has fought regulation • http://www.jeffreywigand.com/7ceos.php
Framework convention on tobacco control • Entered into force in 2005, negotiated despite obstruction form tobacco industry • Requires countries to take steps incuding
http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/resources/atlas/en/http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/resources/atlas/en/