Globally, NCDs are on the rise. At present, they account for 71% of all deaths and in some countries this figure is higher still.
The strength of national diet-related policies should match the severity of the burden of non- communicable diseases (NCDs), and government action should be focused on the most critical dietary drivers and population groups at risk. Yet, while many countries are beginning to recognise the importance of addressing NCDs, there has been little rigorous analysis of country-level policies to tackle NCDs associated with unhealthy diets.
The Policy Analysis for NCDs (PA4NCDs) project set out to undertake an assessment of national policies and strategies related to promoting healthy diets across six countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Tunisia and Vietnam. Through a network of health-policy analysts, the study compared national NCD policies to global recommendations, evaluating the extent to which policies include effective and equitable attributes to improve population health. The findings can be accessed via country-specific policy briefs below.
To represent these findings, the PA4NCDs project has introduced the concept of the NCD "Policy Cube" - a framework to present three key axes of a robust policy environment to address and prevent NCDs: comprehensiveness, effectiveness and equity. You can find out more and view the country policy cubes here.
Alongside the project findings, below you will find a set of policy briefs, which provide evidence-informed recommendations for shaping comprehensive, effective and equitable diet-related NCD policies, as well as other publications and outputs from the PA4NCDs project.
Time to clarify State obligations and accountability on NCDs with human rights instruments - BMJ Global Health
Crisps, coke, convenience: how ads created a global junk food generation - The Guardian
The Food Diaries film project - children across seven countries explore their changing food environments
The PA4NCDs project has been led by Professor Sarah Hawkes from the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health. The project has been conducted with collaborators at the National Public Health Institute (Afghanistan), icddr,b (Bangladesh), CREHPA (Nepal), Aga Khan University (Pakistan), National Health Institute (Tunisia), Hanoi School of Public Health (Vietnam). For any further queries, please contact s.hawkes@ucl.ac.uk.
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