Scaling up non-communicable disease prevention and health promotion across Europe: The Joint Action PreventNCD

Abstract

Aims:

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for more than two thirds of the burden of disease in Europe. At the population level, substantial disparities exist based on socioeconomic status, geographical area, age, disability, gender, and ethnicity. A large part of this disease burden is preventable. The aim of the Joint Action PreventNCD is to support strategies, policies, and practices designed to reduce the burden of NCDs and their common risk factors. This is achieved through collaboration between Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Ukraine acting on health determinants and increasing protective factors for health and wellbeing, both at a personal and societal level. A critical objective is to contribute to reduced social inequalities associated with NCDs. This paper presents the overall design and rationale behind PreventNCD, highlighting the efforts to provide strategic direction and guidance while fostering consolidated efforts to NCD prevention and health promotion.

Methods:

Methods include analyzing opportunities for implementing evidence-informed intersectoral policies for preventing NCDs, pilot-testing innovative practices, and scaling up best practices, including both population-based and targeted prevention efforts. Furthermore, methods include building monitoring capacity in the fields of NCD mortality and morbidity, exposure to risk factors, cost of NCD care, and the impact of health promotion and disease prevention efforts.

Conclusions:

This is an ambitious effort to strengthen the European Member States’ abilities and efforts related to NCD prevention. Key outputs include the identification and implementation of effective policies and practices, and long-term institutional mechanisms for sustained NCD prevention and health promotion.