Your weekly summary of NCD activities, curated by the WHO NCD Department
BRIEFING WHO's MEMBER STATES ON OUR LATEST NCD WORK
WHO is made up of 194 Member States. Working to achieve their requests, mandates and pressing health needs, WHO regularly engages with these Member States through 'information sessions'. This week, WHO has held three information sessions for Member States, exploring:
- The multiple decisions made at the 150th Executive Board in January 2022. These include on creating an implementation roadmap to achieve the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs, and action on diabetes, oral health, epilepsy and mental health conditions, people living with NCDs in humanitarian settings, alcoholic beverages, and the Global Coordination Mechanism for the Prevention and Control of NCDs (GCM/NCD);
- WHO's 'Acceleration Action Plan to Stop Obesity', prepared to find priority actions for Member States and the WHO Secretariat for the prevention and management of obesity, in advance of the 75th World Health Assembly;
- Our latest work and global priorities on hearing and assistive technology.
NEW EVIDENCE FOR MANAGING NCDs DURING MIGRATION CYCLES
NCDs are a major health burden worldwide, but global NCD policies do not specifically address refugees and migrants. Access to health care for NCDs can depend on the availability and affordability of health care in countries of origin, transit and destinations and on the type of migratory journey undertaken.
This week, WHO's Health and Migration Programme has launched the second report of the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration series, looking at the continuum of care for NCD management during migration cycles. The report was launched with remarks from Ambassadors of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea in Geneva, and the Permanent Representative of Norway.
Looking at academic and grey literature published between 2010 and 2021, the review identifies major challenges for NCDs in refugees and migrants because of the multifaceted dynamics of the migration processes. Migrant-specific barriers in accessing NCD services include cultural and language differences, social exclusion, and discrimination, while legal status can also be a significant barrier in some countries.
Responding to these challenges, the report also puts forth policy considerations on the need for strengthened governance and policies, research and data monitoring. It recognizes the need for uninterrupted health service delivery to ensure inclusive NCD actions in internationally-agreed goals and targets.
CREATING SAFE LISTENING VENUES THIS WORLD HEARING DAY
Over one billion people aged 12 to 35 years risk losing their hearing due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music and other recreational sounds. This can have devastating consequences for a person's physical and mental health, education, and employment prospects.
This week marked World Hearing Day 2022, under the theme To hear for life, listen with care!
To mark the day, WHO has issued a new international standard for safe listening at venues and events. The standard applies to places and activities where amplified music is played. It highlights six recommendations for implementation to ensure that venues and events limit the risk of hearing loss to their patrons while preserving high-quality sound and an enjoyable listening experience. The six recommendations are:
- A maximum average sound level of 100 decibels;
- Live monitoring and recording of sound levels using calibrated equipment by designated staff;
- Optimizing venue acoustics and sound systems to ensure enjoyable sound quality and safe listening;
- Making personal hearing protection available to audiences including instructions on use;
- Access to quiet zones for people to rest their ears and decrease the risk of hearing damage; and
- Providing training and information to staff.
We have also launched our 'Be Healthy Be Mobile' handbook for implementation of digital safe listening tools, and a media briefing for safe listening, launched and moderated by Grammy award-winning musicians Ricky Kej and Lucy Kalantari. Finally, we have produced a Kahoot! on safe listening, teaching how to care for ears, avoid hearing loss and encourage safe listening and hearing health.
On World Hearing Day, learn about WHO's ambitions from Dr Tedros and Dr Bente Mikkelsen, and play our Kahoot! exploring and encouraging behaviours which promote hearing health and safe listening.
TECHNICAL EXPERT MEETING TO SELECT AND PRIORITIZE NCD PRIMARY CARE FACILITY-BASED INDICATORS
The surveillance and monitoring of NCDs is vital for global health. It helps us understand the scale of NCDs - the largest and most underfunded global health challenge facing us today - and to track the progress of countries in preventing and controlling NCDs amongst their populations.
Indicators are an important way to monitor NCD services and outcomes. A globally agreed comprehensive set of measures for NCD service quality, availability, and health outcomes can help monitor NCD activities in primary care. Practical and simple digital reporting tools can also address gaps in monitoring.
This week, we conducted a technical expert meeting on NCD primary care facility-based indicators. The meeting sought to:
- Inform experts on the initiative to promote standards for facility-based patient and programme monitoring for NCDs, including a list of proposed facility based indicators for the early detection and management of asthma and COPD, diabetes, hypertension and cancers (breast, cervical and childhood).
- Gather experts’ opinions on the suggested NCD indicators, by considering clinical management guidelines, critical information needs to ensure appropriate service delivery at primary care level, and monitoring challenges in limited resource settings.
- Obtain consensus among experts on a priority set of NCD facility-based indicators and indicator definitions. This includes other specifications such as disaggregation, measurement methods, preferred data sources, reporting cycles and targets.
The meeting aimed to produce a final set of core and optional facility-based primary care indicators, as well as metadata, for the following NCDs: asthma, COPD, diabetes, hypertension and cancer (general, breast, cervical and childhood).
SHARING EXPERIENCES OF MULTISECTORAL ACTION ON NCDs
WHO is launching a call for submissions and inviting its Member States to share their experiences on implementing multisectoral actions to strengthen collaboration across government sectors for the prevention and control of NCDs and mental health conditions.
This call for submissions is intended to map country-level experiences and select those that will be part of a collection of case studies, showcasing successful approaches in implementing multisectoral actions for further knowledge collaboration and capacity development.
Our call for submissions is open to all countries until 30 April 2022.
Submissions are being sought from all countries, with examples from low- and middle-income countries particularly encouraged. Government agencies, ministries or equivalent, both from the health sector and beyond, are welcomed to send their applications.
All accepted submissions will be showcased in a report, accessible online and disseminated widely through WHO channels and networks.
REGIONAL PAHO/WHO CONSULTATIONS ON MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH NCDs AND MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
Over recent weeks, we have been sharing regional consultations for People Living with NCDs and Mental Health Conditions to develop a framework for meaningful engagement. This Framework will guide WHO and Member States in the meaningful engagement of both groups to co-design policies, programmes, and principles.
We are delighted to share the expressions of interest for our next PAHO/WHO Informal Consultations. These will be available to all People Living with NCDs and Mental Health Conditions in Latin America on 6 and 7 April, and in the Caribbean and North America on 20 and 21 April.
If you would like to participate, please register your interest at the link below!
NEXT WEEK! JOIN OUR FOCUS GROUPS FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DIABETES
WHO is working hard to meaningfully engage people living with diabetes, to co-create educational tools with those who have lived experiences, and support adapting our work on diabetes tailored for culture, context and health literacy.
On 9-10 March, 2pm to 5pm CET, focus groups for people with lived experiences of diabetes will be convened by WHO through the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and the Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (GCM/NCD). This builds on an informal consultation held one year ago, to discuss key opportunities and challenges to improving global diabetes outcomes.
You can express your interest in joining these focus groups, as well as contribute to what you feel the items of discussion should be, by completing the Expression of Interest form below. Please note submitting this form does not confirm your participation in this Focus Group. Those selected to attend will be contacted.
NEW GLOBAL LABORATORY PROTOCOL FOR MEASURING TRANS FAT IN FOODS
It is important to collect data on trans fat content in the food supply, and changes in trans fat consumption in the population. Doing so provides baseline information on trans fat levels, to help monitor changes over time, and track compliance with national policies implemented to eliminate trans fat.
The levels of trans fat can be measured either in food or in the population. Between the two types, food assessment should be the priority in all countries. Population assessment is optional and can be done through population surveys such as a dietary questionnaire or a testing of blood samples.
WHO has recently released a new Global protocol for measuring fatty acid profiles of foods, with emphasis on monitoring trans-fatty acids originating from partially hydrogenated oils provides a globally harmonized method to measure trans fats in foods. It will enable countries to assess the levels of trans fat in their food supply, understand its key sources, and monitor the compliance or effectiveness of the policies implemented to eliminate them.
WHO's REPLACE action package provides a strategic approach to eliminating industrially-produced trans fat from national food supplies, with the goal of global elimination by 2023. Its six areas of action are to:
- Review dietary sources of industrially-produced trans fat and the landscape for required policy change;
- Promote the replacement of industrially-produced trans fat with healthier fats and oils;
- Legislate or enact regulatory actions to eliminate industrially-produced trans fat;
- Assess and monitor trans fat content in the food supply and changes in trans fat consumption in the population;
- Create awareness of the negative health impact of trans fat among policy-makers, producers, suppliers, and the public;
- Enforce compliance with policies and regulations.
HOUSEKEEPING
There will be no NCD Newsflash next week. Normal service resumes on 18 March 2022.
As part of efforts to improve WHO communications, we always want your feedback of what you like, and what you would like to see more of! Send me your feedback below.
THE TWEETS WE RETWEET
- Follow the coverage of #WorldHearingDay on Twitter! (March 2022)
- Become an @NCDAlliance diarist and document your NCD relationship with your healthcare provider (March 2022)
