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Public health news from around the WHO European Region.
June 2023
In this issue you can find:
- Zagreb Declaration on the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in the WHO European Region;
- European winners of WHO World No Tobacco Awards 2023;
- New data: how did COVID-19 affect children's diets and health;
- Countries' experience: benefits of finding alternative to tobacco farming;
- Factsheets on smokefree homes;
- Results of the WHO/Europe Prison health status report;
- New WHO trainings and webinars
Tobacco
Grow food not tobacco: World No Tobacco Day 2023 (WNTD)
Tobacco farming continues to be subsidized in some countries of the WHO European Region. These payments incentivize farmers to use large areas of fertile land to grow tobacco rather than healthy food, even though tobacco has been shown to have an adverse impact on people’s health and on the environment.
WNTD campaign encourages governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers to switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.
WNTD Awards 2023: inspiring European advocates
WHO has announced the winners of the 2023 WNTD Awards, celebrating the achievements of five inspiring individuals and organizations from across the European Region. These trailblazers have demonstrated exceptional dedication and innovation in the field of tobacco control, pushing the boundaries to create a healthier, tobacco-free future for all.
Fighting tobacco harm: country stories
WHO presents stories about countries' experiences. Read more about WNTD 2023 Awards nominees from Slovenia and their tobacco control efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond; and Ukrainian commitment to fight tobacco harms even amidst the ongoing conflict.
Factsheets on smokefree homes
With the introduction of smokefree regulations in public places, peoples’ homes have become a major source of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), particularly for children. In some countries of the WHO European Region, up to 60% of children are exposed to SHS at home.
Read the factsheets to learn how to protect homes from SHS. More here
Obesity
Newly adopted Zagreb Declaration sets out a political roadmap for reversing the rapid rise of childhood obesity in Europe
The spouses of 16 European leaders and heads of state came together in the Croatian capital today, under the auspices of First Lady of Croatia Dr Sanja Musić Milanović, to launch the first-ever Network of Spouses of European Leaders on the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in the WHO European Region. They have unanimously adopted the Zagreb Declaration, laying out their political commitment to addressing childhood obesity in their countries and urging other countries to do the same. More here
Childhood obesity: five facts about the WHO European Region
On World Obesity Day 2023 WHO/Europe highlights five trends concerning overweight and obesity among primary school-aged children in the European Region.
The WHO data used to identify trends come from the latest (fifth) round of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI), which took place between 2018 and 2020, and to which 33 countries contributed data. In total, almost 411 000 children were measured.
Nutrition
Lessons learned from COVID-19: how did the pandemic affect children’s health and habits?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought seismic changes to the lives of many families across the WHO European Region. Lockdowns, restrictions, and emergency policies have changed our diets, physical activity patterns and many other daily habits that are tightly connected to our well-being. Data from a new WHO/Europe factsheet enable us to assess both positive and negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health across the WHO European Region, with a special focus on school-aged children. More here
New WHO tool aim to protect children from unhealthy food marketing
A newly published set of WHO nutritional criteria aims to protect children from marketing that promotes unhealthy food and non-alcoholic beverages. The WHO/Europe Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) enables the classification of food products to determine whether they are healthy enough to be advertised to children. It can be used by decision-makers to develop policies to improve the overall nutritional quality of diets and lower the risks of NCDs. More here
Talking with patients about salt can save their lives: doctors fight hypertension in Georgia
Georgian health professionals share advice on the best ways to explain health hazards of excessive salt consumption to patients, and why medication for hypertension cannot be seen as an alternative to a healthier diet.
Kazakhstan’s moves to reduce salt intake not in conflict with business interests
In Kazakhstan, where salt is an essential ingredient in many traditional dishes, doctors have raised concerns over the high levels of hypertension and strokes caused by excessive salt intake. Currently, cardiovascular disease is the main driver of premature deaths in the country resulting in more than 42 000 deaths each year – and high salt intake is a major contributing factor.
Physical Activity
New WHO/OECD report: increasing physical activity could save the EU billions annually
In the European Union, 45% of people say they never exercise or play sport. This leads to millions of NCD cases that ruin people’s health and burden economies. A new report from WHO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – “Step up! Tackling the burden of insufficient physical activity in Europe” – explains how increasing physical activity to the recommended levels could prevent thousands of premature deaths in the EU and save billions in health-care spending. More here
Physical activity in the EU: policies that make people happier
WHO/Europe presents a new database dedicated to physical activity in the European Union (EU) and policies that have been implemented to promote healthy active lifestyles.
The latest data shows that 1 in 3 people in the EU are not active enough. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. More here
"Be active, be healthy!" - WHO project for Ukrainian children in Poland
Ukrainian children who have recently moved to Poland are discovering how being physically active with others can help them overcome language barriers and make new friends. This is the idea behind the “Be active, be healthy!” project for Ukrainian school-aged children, carried out by WHO/Europe in collaboration with the Polish Ministry of Sports and Tourism and the Institute of Sport – National Research Centre. More here
New WHO factsheet highlights Georgia’s multisectoral approach to improving physical activity
Around 17% of adults in Georgia do not get the WHO-recommended amounts of physical activity during the day, and physical activity rates are even lower among children and adolescents. To improve the situation, Georgian authorities, in collaboration with WHO/Europe, are developing a National Strategy for the Promotion of Physical Activity in the country. A new WHO “Physical Activity Factsheet 2022: Georgia” gives an overview of the country’s current policies that may become a nationwide action plan for the promotion of physical activity. More here
Alcohol use
Lessons from the Baltic: what alcohol control policies are effective?
The new WHO brief describes the main findings from the research project "Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states", funded by the United States National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for the period 2000–2025. The WHO-backed project aims to assess the effects of alcohol control policies implemented in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and to investigate the impact they have had on both people's health and the countries' economies.
Ireland leads the way as the first country in the EU to introduce comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products
Health information on alcohol products allows consumers to make informed choices about the risks of consuming alcohol. Ireland is the first country in the European Union (EU) to ensure that, from 2026, all alcohol products will have comprehensive labelling about health risks from consumption, including warnings about the risks of developing cancers.
UPCOMING TRAINING - OPEN FOR ALL!
Webinar series: Alcohol and Public Health
As part of the training course on alcohol and public health in Europe that started in May 2023, WHO/Europe is launching a series of webinars for everyone with an interest in alcohol from a public health perspective.
Cancer
Harnessing population health data to improve cancer survival in Denmark
Denmark is a digital health frontrunner. At an individual level, people can access their own electronic health records held by hospitals, municipalities and general practitioners. At a national level, aggregated population data is securely stored, monitored and analysed by the Danish Health Data Authority. Mette Keis Jepsen, Head of Analytics, Statistics and Economics at the Danish Health Data Authority, shares some of her insights about how population health data analysis is leading to improvements in cancer care pathways.
Kyrgyzstan joins European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
Kyrgyzstan joined European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week to raise awareness about cervical cancer and to highlight the importance of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. In close collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan, the WHO Country Office in Kyrgyzstan, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Kyrgyzstan and Médecins Sans Frontières jointly organized health promotion activities on early diagnosis and screening for cervical cancer.
Ana’s story: campaigning to improve cancer care in Georgia
“I’m like a social worker and I try to use my experience to help other cancer patients to believe that they will survive. They need to know that a cancer diagnosis is not the end.”
A passionate advocate for greater awareness, Ana Mazanishvili runs the Pink Space Centre in Tbilisi, Georgia – a charity offering free advice and support for breast cancer patients. She recently contributed to the launch of a new WHO initiative to guide countries on how to reduce breast cancer mortality by improving early breast cancer detection and access to quality and effective breast cancer care.
Prisons and health
One-third of people in prison in Europe suffer from mental health disorders
WHO/Europe today launched its second “Status report on prison health in the WHO European Region” at an event hosted by the Portuguese Government. The report provides an overview of the performance of prison health systems in the Region based on survey data from 36 countries. The data shows that the response of countries to COVID-19 in prisons was generally good, however, it also highlights areas of concern, including overcrowding and a lack of services for mental health, which represents the greatest health need among people in prison across the Region. More here
UPCOMING CONFERENCE (ONLINE STREAMING AVAILABLE)!
London, 20-21 June 2023
The 2023 Health in Prisons and Places of Detention International Conference
The conference, hosted by the UK Health Security Agency and organized jointly with WHO/Europe, focuses on making prisons and places of detention resilient to infectious diseases, including epidemic and pandemic threats.
Discussions will contribute to developing guidelines for Member States on strengthening responses to infectious diseases in prisons and strengthening relationships between prison healthcare and wider health systems.
