Workshop: NCDs prevention through integrated approaches: reducing obesity from individuals to populations
Authors:   Organised by: World Federation of Public Health Associations Chair persons: Marta Lomazzi - Switzerland, Walter Ricciardi - WFPHA
Published: November 2019

Non-communicable diseases, the slow motion disaster, represent one of the main global threats to health in the 21st century. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases and obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Obesity can be prevented through healthy food, healthy lifestyle and anti-obesogenic environments. Effective multidisciplinary and intersectorial approaches are needed now more than ever and public health strategies should tackle the social determinants of health through the adoption of a common risk factor approach, which start from the mouth to reach the rest of the body. This applies to preventive actions, investments and advocacy with the government and the food industry.

This workshop aims to discuss challenges and leverages to increase integrated approaches to prevent NCDs through healthy nutrition, focusing on the need to tackle the body as a whole as well as providing the skills necessary to understand and play the power game related to food and food industry.

The workshop will start with a critical analysis of the key actions and debates at the global level, focusing afterwards on the sugar-sweetened beverage (SBB) laws and the need to re-legitimate the mouth as an integral part of the body to increase the effectiveness of prevention. The country case of Italy will give an important perspective from a country that has always been associated to the healthy Mediterranean diet but has reverted the trend in the last few years, especially among children. The debate will then lead to an analysis of the effective approaches, which can be applied to fight the obesity trend with a special focus on government roles and wrestling with industry.

The obesity prevention strategies as described above will be analysed through the Global Charter for the Public’s Health (The Charter) lens, a joint effort of WFPHA, multiple stakeholders, as well as the WHO, which has been developed to provide a comprehensive, clear and flexible framework to adapt today’s public health to its global context. The implementation of The Charter functions and services, through a flexible approach, paves the path to reverse the obesity trend and facilitate the development of effective measures through multidisciplinary and intersectorial partnerships and effective laws. An integral part of the process is leadership from inside and outside the health sector along with people, communities, organizations, governments, concerned corporates and citizens.

This workshop will provide delegates with the information, examples and skills necessary to understand and play an active role in the “food power game” through the adoption of common risk factor approach and increased advocacy skills by applying The Charter in Europe and globally.

Key messages

Integrated and multidisciplinary approaches, including the common risk factors approach, and effective advocacy with governments and concerned corporates are key elements to prevent obesity and NCDs. The Charter is the flexible and innovative framework to be applied from the communities up to their governments, at national and international levels to prevent diseases such as obesity and NCDs.