Chair:
Martin Wiseman - World Cancer Research Fund International
Working Group Members:
David Whiting
Johanna Ralston
Julie Torode
Lisa Cooney
Modi Mwatsama
Paul Lincoln
Prescilla Perera
Tim Lobstein
Obesity, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are the most important preventable risk factors for NCDs after tobacco. Up to 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes and over a third of the most common cancers could be prevented by eliminating these shared risk factors (WHO, 2008).
Therefore, in the recently launched briefing paper on nutrition, physical activity and NCD prevention the NCD Alliance is calling for action in the following areas:
• Full implementation of the WHO 2008-2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of NCDs; Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
• National regulation to achieve substantial reductions in consumption of saturated fat, trans-fat, salt and refined sugars. Aim to reduce worldwide salt intake to less than 5g/day per capita (2,000 mg sodium/day) by 2025.
• Global and national trade and fiscal measures to provide incentives for production, distribution and marketing of vegetables, fruit and relatively unprocessed foods.
• National strategies to decrease childhood obesity by 2013 and the elimination of all forms of marketing, particularly those aimed at children, for foods high in saturated fat, trans-fat, salt and refined sugars by 2016.
• National policies to encourage walking, cycling, and active travel, play and leisure.
In addition, a more comprehensive extended briefing paper with supporting evidence and full references, on which the new policy briefing is based, is also available.