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Public health news from around the WHO European Region.
December 2023
In this issue you can find:
- Diet Impact Assessment tool for policy makers;
- NCDs prevention and arts report;
- Alcohol and cancer in the EU - call for action;
- NCDs and climate change report;
- New reports on prisons and health;
- Patients shaping diabetes policies - Slovenia's experience;
- Physical activity, diets and healthy ageing report;
- WHO/Europe training opportunities and more.
Tobacco
New WHO campaign highlights tobacco industry tactics to influence public health policies
WHO launched the "Stop the lies" campaign as a vital initiative to protect young people from the tobacco industry and their deadly products, by calling for an end to tobacco industry interference in health policy.
WATCH THE VIDEO - Tobacco industry lies
Urgent action needed to protect children and prevent the uptake of e-cigarettes
Urgent action is needed to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers and minimize health harms to the population. E-cigarettes as consumer products are not shown to be effective for quitting tobacco use at the population level. Instead, alarming evidence has emerged on adverse population health effects.
NEW FACTSHEETS:
Tobacco and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
This document reviewed by WHO/Europe team is the eighth in a series of Tobacco Knowledge Summaries. It is prepared with the objective to summarize the current evidence on the association between tobacco use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Tobacco and diabetes
This document reviewed by WHO/Europe team is the seventh in a series of Tobacco Knowledge Summaries. It is prepared with the objective to summarize the current evidence on the association between tobacco use and diabetes.
Nutrition & Obesity
Healthier diets for our planet: new WHO/Europe data tool to drive innovative country policies
The way we produce and consume food – through our food systems – is tightly interconnected with environment and health. Foods high in salt, added sugars and trans fats can harm our health and lead to early death. At the same time, the production of food products may contribute to soil pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and packaging waste. But there is a way to help understand the impact of food systems on the environment and health: WHO/Europe’s new tool for diet impact assessment (DIA) can help. More here
Report of the first meeting of the WHO Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network
The WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases is engaging in several initiatives addressing healthy and sustainable diets, guided by experts from across the WHO European Region. This report sets out presentations and discussions that took place at the first meeting of the new Member State-led WHO Sugar and Calorie Reduction Network, held as a hybrid event on 19 and 20 October 2022 and in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care. It was a chance to share learning across five key areas: fiscal levers; industry benchmarks and transparency; the out-of-home food sector; marketing and advertising; and front of-pack labelling.
NCDs and climate change
New WHO tools to support action on noncommunicable diseases and climate change
Every year unhealthy diets cause 11 million deaths globally – and our food systems contribute to one risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that threatens both our well-being and planetary health. At the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), WHO/Europe presented initial findings from the report of an expert meeting on NCDs and climate change which explores multisectoral actions and priorities to effectively tackle major health and environmental concerns. More here
Physical Activity
By 2024, the 65-and-over age group will outnumber the youth group: new WHO report on healthy ageing
By 2024, it is estimated that the population of individuals aged over 65 years will outnumber those under the age of 15 in the WHO European Region. This trend means new social, economic and health challenges, which demand a focus on healthy ageing to mitigate the impact of an ageing population. WHO's report “Promoting physical activity and healthy diets for healthy ageing in the WHO European Region” navigates this shift, providing a roadmap for healthy longevity. More here
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACTS
15th conference of the European network for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA Europe)
19 – 21 August 2024 | Dublin, Ireland
Symposium submission deadline: 19 January 2024
Abstract submission deadline: 23 February 2024
The objective of the conference is to engage and connect scientists, leading experts, policy-makers, professionals and other stakeholders to enhance and facilitate the implementation of knowledge in the field of health-enhancing physical activity, and to provide a forum for sharing the latest scientific, practice and policy developments in Europe and beyond.
The programme will consist of keynote lectures, symposia, parallel oral sessions, and short 2-minute pitches, accompanied by social and networking events. The annual meeting of HEPA Europe and parallel sessions of its HEPA working groups will also be hosted during the conference.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
2024 HEPA Europe and WHO/Europe Early Career Professional’s Development Programme
HEPA Europe and WHO/Europe are pleased to announce that applications for the 2024 Early Career Professional’s Development Programme are now open for early career researchers, practitioners and policy-makers across the WHO European Region. This is an opportunity for early career professionals to develop public health competencies and build networks, while learning more about the work of WHO/Europe and the HEPA Europe network.
Alcohol use
Joint statement by WHO/Europe and IARC to the European Parliament – raising awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer
Joint statement by WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Dr Elisabete Weiderpass
RELATED FACTSHEET
Alcohol and cancer in the European Union - a call to action
1 year of WHO/EU Evidence into Action Alcohol Project (EVID-ACTION)
NEW - Meeting report of the EVID-ACTION 2022 launch event
Public awareness of the cancer risk posed by alcohol consumption, even at low levels, is generally low. In 2016 about 80 000 people died of alcohol-attributable cancer in the European Union (EU). As part of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU aims to reduce harms due to alcohol consumption by means of collaboration, coordination and support from the WHO Regional Office for Europe through the joint WHO/EU Evidence into Action Alcohol Project (EVID-ACTION).
Cancer
Exploring commercial influences on health professionals and cancer control
The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) ran a 2-day summer school for Youth Cancer Ambassadors on commercial determinants of cancer prevention and care.
In informing and facilitating discussions with young activists, WHO aims to raise awareness about certain commercial products and practices, and to inspire action to reduce the health harms they cause.
Diabetes
We present personal stories of people living with diabetes. Real-life experiences were discussed at the high-level technical summit co-organised by WHO/Europe and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Europe in Belgrade, Serbia.
Managing diabetes while fleeing from war – Artur’s story
14-year-old Artur’s life has been marked by 2 significant events – the escalation of the war in Ukraine and his diabetes diagnosis at the age of 8.
When Artur was diagnosed, he was treated by doctors in his native Ukraine and learned how to manage his condition. When the country was plunged into full-scale war in February 2022, Artur’s parents quickly decided to move him to neighbouring Hungary in March that year.
“It’s important to me that diabetes doesn’t interrupt my life” – Alexandra's story
Alexandra helps people in Lisbon, Portugal, with how to deal with their diabetes through a peer support group.
“I help people with diabetes to accept the disease and control and manage it. It’s really rewarding. I feel happy when I have success organizing activities for people with diabetes. When I feel that the time we spent together has changed our lives a bit and we feel more comfortable talking about diabetes, I feel happy at the end of the day.”
COUNTRY EXPERIENCE
Tackling diabetes through meaningful engagement – Slovenia’s second 10-year programme
It is unusual for patients to be consulted about a national policy and then to see the results. However, when Slovenia decided to develop its second 10-year programme for diabetes in 2021, this was one of its goals.
NCDs and art
The power of healing: new WHO report shows how arts can help beat noncommunicable diseases
The arts have long been recognized for enriching our lives, but they can also play a powerful role in our health. In recent years, a growing body of research suggests that arts-based interventions can help tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – from cardiovascular diseases to cancer. A new report from WHO/Europe, which builds on the “Learning from the arts” conference held in Budapest, suggests how arts can be integrated into health systems to supplement NCD treatment and prevention. More here
Prisons and health
NEW REPORTS
Assessment of training opportunities for health-care personnel in prisons
Policy dialogue on prison health: analysis and the way forward in the Portuguese context
Making prisons and places of detention resilient to infectious diseases: the London conclusions
As part of the work of the WHO Health in Prisons Programme and its partners, an international conference was held in London, United Kingdom, on 20–21 June 2023 to discuss health in prisons and other places of detention. International experts in prison health met to evaluate evidence from the immediate post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period on making prisons and places of detention resilient to infectious diseases, including epidemic and pandemic threats. Speakers addressed five themes: prepare, prevent, detect, respond and building connectedness with the wider health system.
COMING UP
WHO/Europe Special Initiative for NCDs and Innovation (SNI) launches 100-Week Challenge
In October 2023 WHO/Europe launched the 100-Week Challenge within the RACE to the Finish campaign to accelerate policy implementation on the NCD-related SDGs in the run-up to the 4th High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs in 2025.
The 100-Week Challenge represents the collective, concerted effort of WHO/Europe and its Member States to make every week count to achieve the internationally agreed SDG-NCD targets. SNI is developing a toolkit to support Member States in the 100-Week Challenge to guide policy makers in determining and implementing policies that can deliver rapid, impactful results.
UPCOMING SUMMER SCHOOL
16 – 19 July 2024 | Nice, France
Systems thinking and innovation for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and a healthy ageing population in the WHO European Region
WHO/Europe’s Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation (SNI), Université Côte d’Azur and Ulysseus European University invite you to apply to join an in-person 4-day summer-school course to explore systems thinking theory and applying systems-based methods and design thinking processes that can foster a human-centred approach to problem-solving and innovation for preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), promoting healthy ageing and supporting healthy lifestyles across the life-course. Participants will be equipped with the tools and techniques to analyse data, identify patterns, and generate insights that drive the development of innovative solutions.
