Obesity

2021 ◽  
pp. 57-72
Author(s):  
Anna Peeters ◽  
Tim Lobstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Global Action ◽  
The Many ◽  
Health Organization

Overweight and obesity is a rapidly increasing global problem, impacting population health and healthcare systems. The World Health Organization prioritized the need to tackle obesity in its 2012 Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013–2020 followed by its establishment of a Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity in 2015. This chapter analyses the problem of obesity from a public health perspective. It begins by considering definitions of overweight and obesity for adults and children, including the designation of obesity as a disease by many national and international organizations. It then describes the global trends for overweight and obesity, noting the disparities that exist in these trends and considering future projections. The fourth section discusses the financial and social consequences of overweight and obesity, and the fifth section explores in detail the many interacting causes of overweight and obesity. Finally, public health solutions to the global obesity problem are explored, highlighting the roles of the various potential contributors including civil society, commercial operators, and government at all levels.

scholarly journals Global Governance of Anti-microbial Resistance: A Legal and Regulatory Toolkit

2020 ◽  
pp. 401-420
Author(s):  
Calvin W. L. Ho ◽  
Tsung-Ling Lee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
System Approach ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Global Action ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Recognizing that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to global public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a Global Action Plan (GAP) at the May 2015 World Health Assembly. Underscoring that systematic misuse and overuse of drugs in human medicine and food production is a global public health concern, the GAP-AMR urges concerted efforts across governments and private sectors, including pharmaceutical industry, medical professionals, agricultural industry, among others. The GAP has a threefold aim: (1) to ensure a continuous use of effective and safe medicines for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases; (2) to encourage a responsible use of medicines; and (3) to engage countries to develop their national actions on AMR in keeping with the recommendations. While the GAP is a necessary step to enable multilateral actions, it must be supported by effective governance in order to realize the proposed aims. This chapter has a threefold purpose: (1) To identify regulatory principles embedded in key WHO documents relating to AMR and the GAP-AMR; (2) To consider the legal and regulatory actions or interventions that countries could use to strengthen their regulatory lever for AMR containment; and (3) To highlight the crucial role of the regulatory lever in enabling other levers under a whole-of-system approach. Effective AMR containment requires a clearer understanding of how the regulatory lever could be implemented or enabled within health systems, as well as how it underscores and interacts with other levers within a whole-of-system approach.

scholarly journals 31.C. Workshop: Development and implementation of action plans on health literacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Action Plans

Abstract Health literacy (HL) has become an important topic in many countries. As HL - meaning the ability to access, understand, appraise and apply health information (Sørensen et al. 2012) - is important to make sound health decisions, to promote health and to take an active part in managing health and illness in everyday life and navigating the health care system. In the modern digital knowledge society, HL is also indispensable for orienting oneself in the abundance of mostly digital health information, including incorrect and false information, for locating reliable information and for assessing the trustworthiness and quality of information. However, available studies show that HL is insufficient in many countries. Low HL has - as many studies show - negative social consequences ranging from unhealthy behaviour, higher risk for diseases, less self-care and deficits in coping with illness and chronicity, to over- and misuse (extensive use) of health care. The promotion of HL is therefore an important public health task. An increasing number of population studies and policy documents currently underline this. The WHO has therefore included HL into many of its strategies, like the declarations of Shanghai (2016) and Astana (2018), and has published several publications focusing on HL, like the Solid Facts (2013), the 57th Health Evidence Network Report (2018) or the Roadmap for Implementing Health Literacy Activities (2019). In many countries, strategies and national action plans to improve HL have been developed in response to the political call for action, e.g. in Scotland, Germany and recently also in Portugal. Other countries and regions are currently working on the development of a HL action plan, e.g. Belgium and the WHO European Region action plan on HL. The development and especially the implementation strategies of action plans in different countries and the experiences gained will be discussed comparatively in the workshop. Following an introduction (10'), two countries, which already have action plans will introduce their implementation strategy in one presentation each: Germany and Portugal (30'). This will be followed by two presentations of countries/regions in which action plans are currently being developed: Belgium and WHO Europe (30'). Afterwards the participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss on the different strategies (20'). The workshop will help other initiatives to successfully develop and implement policy plans and strategies in different fields of public health. Key messages Strategies and national action plans to improve HL have been developed in different countries/regions. It is important to reflect on the chosen development and implementation strategies and to discuss their effects, successes and barriers.

scholarly journals Microbiome First Approaches to Rescue Public Health and Reduce Human Suffering

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1581
Author(s):  
Rodney R. Dietert
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drugs Of Abuse ◽  
Review Article ◽  
World Health ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Human Suffering ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Food Emulsifiers ◽  
Failure To Protect ◽  
Health Organization

The is a sequential article to an initial review suggesting that Microbiome First medical approaches to human health and wellness could both aid the fight against noncommunicable diseases and conditions (NCDs) and help to usher in sustainable healthcare. This current review article specifically focuses on public health programs and initiatives and what has been termed by medical journals as a catastrophic record of recent failures. Included in the review is a discussion of the four priority behavioral modifications (food choices, cessation of two drugs of abuse, and exercise) advocated by the World Health Organization as the way to stop the ongoing NCD epidemic. The lack of public health focus on the majority of cells and genes in the human superorganism, the microbiome, is highlighted as is the “regulatory gap” failure to protect humans, particularly the young, from a series of mass population toxic exposures (e.g., asbestos, trichloroethylene, dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls, triclosan, bisphenol A and other plasticizers, polyfluorinated compounds, herbicides, food emulsifiers, high fructose corn syrup, certain nanoparticles, endocrine disruptors, and obesogens). The combination of early life toxicity for the microbiome and connected human physiological systems (e.g., immune, neurological), plus a lack of attention to the importance of microbial rebiosis has facilitated rather than suppressed, the NCD epidemic. This review article concludes with a call to place the microbiome first and foremost in public health initiatives as a way to both rescue public health effectiveness and reduce the human suffering connected to comorbid NCDs.

scholarly journals Meeting the Global NCD Target of at Least 10% Relative Reduction in the Harmful Use of Alcohol: Is the WHO European Region on Track?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Probst ◽  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Maria Neufeld ◽  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
João Breda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽  
World Health ◽  
European Region ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Harmful Use ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Harmful Use Of Alcohol

Background: The Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases set the target of an “at least 10% relative reduction in the harmful use of alcohol, as appropriate, within the national context”. This study investigated progress in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region towards this target based on two indicators: (a) alcohol per capita consumption (APC) and (b) the age-standardized prevalence of heavy episodic drinking (HED). Methods: Alcohol exposure data for the years 2010–2017 were based on country-validated data and statistical models. Results: Between 2010 and 2017, the reduction target for APC has been met with a decline by −12.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) −17.2, −7.0%) in the region. This progress differed greatly across the region with no decline for the EU-28 grouping (−2.4%; 95% CI −12.0, 7.8%) but large declines for the Eastern WHO EUR grouping (−26.2%; 95% CI −42.2, −8.1%). Little to no progress was made concerning HED, with an overall change of −1.7% (−13.7% to 10.2%) in the WHO European Region. Conclusions: The findings indicate a divergence in alcohol consumption reduction in Europe, with substantial progress in the Eastern part of the region and very modest or no progress in EU countries.

Prevention of overweight and obesity from a public health perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. S83-S88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Aranceta ◽  
Basilio Moreno ◽  
Manuel Moya ◽  
Arturo Anadón
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Public Health Perspective

scholarly journals Fruit and Vegetable Concentrate Supplementation and Cardiovascular Health: A Systematic Review from a Public Health Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1914
Author(s):  
Giulia Lorenzoni ◽  
Clara Minto ◽  
Maria Gabriella Vecchio ◽  
Slavica Zec ◽  
Irene Paolin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Concentrate Supplementation

Fruits and vegetables (FV) are very important for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), but it has been demonstrated that FV consumption is below that recommended. Several companies have worked to offer FV concentrates, but it remains unclear whether they represent a potentially effective means of reducing the burden of NCDs. The present study provides a systematic review aimed at assessing the effect of FV concentrate supplementation on select parameters that are known to be risk factors for NCDs. The systematic review was done according to the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies were identified through the online databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. The physiological parameters of interest were total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, plasmatic homocysteine, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. Data extraction was performed in duplicate. The results of the systematic review provided input for a Markov chain simulation model aimed at estimating the public health consequences of various scenarios of FV concentrate utilization on NCDs burden. The present results suggest a positive and significant role of FV concentrate supplementation on select parameters known to affect the risk of NCDs. Such an effect might be hypothesized to turn into mitigation of the burden of those NCDs modulated by the physiological parameters analyzed in the present systematic review.

scholarly journals The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2 (WHODAS 2.0): remarks on the need to revise the WHODAS

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamyr Castro ◽  
Camila Ferreira Leite ◽  
Michaela Coenen ◽  
Cassia Maria Buchalla
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
The Public ◽  
Whodas 2.0 ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Functioning Assessment

Functioning and disability are concepts in increasing use in clinical settings and in public health. From the public health perspective, the use of functioning as a third health indicator could show more than the frequency of a disease and its death rates, offering information on how the population performs its activities and participation. Clinically, the functioning assessment can provide information for patient-centered health care and specific clinical interventions according to their functioning profile. WHODAS 2.0 is a generic tool to assess health and functioning according to the ICF functioning model. It is an alternative to assess functioning in a less time-consuming way, whereas the duration of the application is one of the main ICF critiques. This paper aims to present some of WHODAS 2.0 inconsistencies and weaknesses as well as strategies to cope with them. In this paper, we present some weaknesses related to the WHODAS layout; wording and scoring process. Some suggestions for strategies to correct these weaknesses are presented, as well.

scholarly journals Antibiotic resistance in European wastewater treatment plants mirrors the pattern of clinical antibiotic resistance prevalence

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. eaau9124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina M. M. Pärnänen ◽  
Carlos Narciso-da-Rocha ◽  
David Kneis ◽  
Thomas U. Berendonk ◽  
Damiano Cacace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Action ◽  
Health Organization

Integrated antibiotic resistance (AR) surveillance is one of the objectives of the World Health Organization global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. Urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs) are among the most important receptors and sources of environmental AR. On the basis of the consistent observation of an increasing north-to-south clinical AR prevalence in Europe, this study compared the influent and final effluent of 12 UWTPs located in seven countries (Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Finland, and Norway). Using highly parallel quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we analyzed 229 resistance genes and 25 mobile genetic elements. This first trans-Europe surveillance showed that UWTP AR profiles mirror the AR gradient observed in clinics. Antibiotic use, environmental temperature, and UWTP size were important factors related with resistance persistence and spread in the environment. These results highlight the need to implement regular surveillance and control measures, which may need to be appropriate for the geographic regions.

scholarly journals Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Implications of Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Evolving Case Study in the Crescent City

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander C. Razavi ◽  
Tanika N. Kelly ◽  
Jiang He ◽  
Camilo Fernandez ◽  
Paul K. Whelton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Medicine and public health have traditionally separated the prevention and treatment of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID ‐19) pandemic has challenged this paradigm, particularly in the setting of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ). Overall, individuals with underlying CVD who acquire severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 experience up to a 10‐fold higher case‐fatality rate compared with the general population. Although the impact of the pandemic on cardiovascular health continues to evolve, few have defined this association from a frontline, public health perspective of populations disproportionately affected by CVD and COVID ‐19. Louisiana is ranked within the bottom 5 states for cardiovascular health, and it is home to several parishes that have experienced among the highest COVID ‐19 case‐fatality rates nationally. Herein, we review CVD prevention and implications of COVID ‐19 in New Orleans, LA, a city holding a sobering yet resilient history with previous public health disasters. In particular, we discuss potential pandemic‐driven changes in access to health care, preventive pharmacotherapy, and lifestyle behaviors, all of which may adversely affect CVD prevention and management, while amplifying racial disparities. Through this process, we highlight proposed recommendations for how CVD prevention efforts can be improved in the midst of the current COVID ‐19 pandemic and future public health crises.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document