Addressing the determinants of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is challenged by aggressive market promotion by tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food industries in emerging countries with fast economic development; and interference by these industries in government policies aimed at containing consumption of unhealthy products. This editorial reviews market promotion and industry interference and...

Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with low-income and middle-income countries experiencing a disproportionately high burden. Since 2010 WHO has promoted 24 highly cost-effective interventions for NCDs, dubbed 'best buys'. It is unclear whether these interventions have been evaluated in low-income and lower-middle-income countrie...

BACKGROUND In many middle-income countries, there is limited data available to evaluate the effectiveness of non-communicable disease (NCD) programmes. Since 1970, three neighbouring middle-income countries-Argentina, Chile and Uruguay-have undergone health sector reforms and reorganized their NCD programmes. In this paper, we explore whether data on premature adult mortality can be used to gau...

BACKGROUND Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) place enormous burdens on individuals and health systems. While there has been significant global progress to guide the development of national NCD monitoring programs, many countries still struggle to adequately establish critical information systems to prioritise NCD control approaches. DISCUSSION In this paper, we use the recent experience of the...

Eighty percent of the global 17 million deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) occur in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The burden of CVD and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is expected to markedly increase because of the global aging of the population and increasing exposure to detrimental lifestylerelated risk in LMICs. Interventions to reduce four main risks related to mod...

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading global causes of morbidity and mortality. It is important to develop and deliver effective NCD prevention programs, but these have been difficult to evaluate. Technical approaches differ, with academic researchers, practitioners and policy makers each bringing different perspectives and priorities to the task of NCD program evaluation. Epidemiolog...

This is an excerpt of the "Western Pacific Regional Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (2014-2020)" (RAP NCD) which has been endorsed by the Member States of the Western Pacific Region of World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2013. The Regional plan is fully harmonized with the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases...

BACKGROUND No standard protocols are available for cognitive rehabilitation (CR) in conditions like Major or Mild Neurocognitive disorder (M-NCD or m-NCD, respectively); however, preliminary data seem to indicate that such interventions might have cost-effective beneficial effects and are free from side effect or adverse events. Three basic approaches are known: cognitive stimulation (CS), cogn...