Preventing Non Communicable Diseases Using Pricing Policies

Preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in an effective and sustainable way will require forward-looking policy solutions that can address multiple objectives. This was true pre–COVID-19 and is even more true now. There are already examples from across the globe and within the United States that show how these may be possible. Although there are still many unknowns around how the design, targeting, level, sequencing, integration, and implementation of fiscal policies together can maximize their NCD prevention potential, there is already clear evidence that health taxes and particularly sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are cost-effective. Nonetheless, policies alone may not succeed. Political will to prioritize well-being, protections against industry interference, and public buy-in are necessary. If those elements align, pricing policies that consider the context in question can be designed and implemented to achieve several goals around reducing consumption of unhealthy SSBs and foods, narrowing existing nutritional and health disparities, encouraging economic and social development. The US and its local and state jurisdictions should consider these pricing policy issues and their contexts carefully, in collaboration with community partners and researchers, to design multi-duty actions and to be prepared for future windows of opportunities to open for policy passage and implementation.

Preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in an effective and sustainable way will require forward-looking policy solutions that can address multiple objectives. This was true pre-COVID-19 and is even more true now. There are already examples from across the globe and within the United States that show how these may be possible. Although there are still many unknowns around how the design, targeting, level, sequencing, integration, and implementation of fiscal policies together can maximize their NCD prevention potential, there is already clear evidence that health taxes and particularly sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are cost-effective. Nonetheless, policies alone may not succeed. Political will to prioritize well-being, protections against industry interference, and public buy-in are necessary. If those elements align, pricing policies that consider the context in question can be designed and implemented to achieve several goals around reducing consumption of unhealthy SSBs and foods, narrowing existing nutritional and health disparities, encouraging economic and social development. The US and its local and state jurisdictions should consider these pricing policy issues and their contexts carefully, in collaboration with community partners and researchers, to design multi-duty actions and to be prepared for future windows of opportunities to open for policy passage and implementation.

"This companion guide to Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition speeds the diffusion of life-saving knowledge by distilling the contents of the larger volume into an easily read format. Policy makers, practitioners, academics, and other interested readers will get an overview of the messages and analysis in Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition; be alerted to the scope of major diseases; learn strategies to improve policies and choices to implement cost-effective interventions; and locate chapters of immediate interest."

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, contributing to over 73% of all deaths annually. Each day NCDs cause more than 100,000 deaths, 80% of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. NCDs, however, are largely preventable, and a great deal of technical knowledge exists about how to prevent and manage them. Why, then, have we, as a global community, not been more successful at reducing this NCD burden? Does a universal problem not have a universal solution? Created by an international consortium of experts, this informative and accessible book provides practical guidelines, key learning points, and dynamic, real-world case studies to aid NCD program managers, policy officers and decision-makers in low- and middle-income countries, so that they can assess interventions for the prevention and control of NCDs. The book was commissioned by the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC), an annual international conference centred on policy of global significance related to public health. Non-Communicable Disease Prevention: Best Buys, Wasted Buys and Contestable Buys emphasises the importance of context in NCD control and prevention, arguing that the success of an intervention lies in an ability to respond to local needs and environments. The book comprises ten chapters, which collectively explore the reasons behind, and strategies for, preventing and managing the NCD burden. It spans key themes such as political economy, the transferability of economic evidence, the role of cross-sectoral policies, the importance of deliberative processes, and health technology assessment. This book is written for the benefit of the global health community, and is primarily targeted at those individuals who are involved in NCD programs. This book will also be of interest to NCD champions, policy advocates, and educators spearheading the movement for increased visiblity of NCDs.

Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related conditions cause more than 40 percent of all deaths globally, and their substantial burden is rising, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Their burden extends well beyond health effects to include significant economic and societal consequences. Most of these conditions are related, share risk factors, and have common control measures at the clinical, population, and policy levels. Lives can be extended and improved when these diseases are prevented, detected, and managed. This volume summarizes current knowledge and presents evidence-based interventions that are effective, cost-effective, and scalable in LMICs.

This volume provides a comprehensive overview on developmental origins of health and disease regarding various factors related to the origins of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) from early life. It offers a summary of the impacts of various factors such as epigenetics; gene-environment interaction; ethnic predisposition to NCDs and their risk factors; prenatal factors; fetal programming; maternal weight status and weight gain during pregnancy; type of feeding during infancy; growth pattern during childhood; obesity; stunting; socioeconomic status; dietary and physical activity habits; as well as environmental factors including air pollution and global climate change on the development and progress of NCDs.

The Handbook of Global Health Policy provides adefinitive source of the key areas in the field. It examines theethical and practical dimensions of new and current policy modelsand their effect on the future development of global health andpolicy. Maps out key debates and policy structures involved in allareas of global health policy Isolates and examines new policy initiatives in global healthpolicy Provides an examination of these initiatives that captures boththe ethical/critical as well as practical/empirical dimensionsinvolved with global health policy, global health policy formationand its implications Confronts the theoretical and practical questions of ‘whogets what and why’ and ‘how, when andwhere?’ Captures the views of a wide array of scholars andpractitioners, including from low- and middle-income countries, toensure an inclusive view of current policy debates

This global status report on prevention and control of NCDs (2014), is framed around the nine voluntary global targets. The report provides data on the current situation, identifying bottlenecks as well as opportunities and priority actions for attaining the targets. The 2010 baseline estimates on NCD mortality and risk factors are provided so that countries can report on progress, starting in 2015. In addition, the report also provides the latest available estimates on NCD mortality (2012) and risk factors, 2010-2012. All ministries of health need to set national NCD targets and lead the development and implementation of policies and interventions to attain them. There is no single pathway to attain NCD targets that fits all countries, as they are at different points in their progress in the prevention and control of NCDs and at different levels of socioeconomic development. However all countries can benefit from the comprehensive response to attaining the voluntary global targets presented in this report.--Publisher description.