Public Policy and the Challenge of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are by far the major cause of death in lower-middle, upper-middle, and high-income countries; by 2015, they will also be the leading cause of death in low-income countries. In addition to mortality, NCDs account for nearly half of the disease burden measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in low- and middle-income countries, and large increases in NCD-related DALYs are projected. Addressing this challenge will require policy makers to design and implement economic, health, and social policies to address the links between NCDs and poverty and to minimize the healtlh and economic losses among the population. ’Public Policy and the Challenge of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases’ provides a framework that policy makers can use to formulate their strategies. The authors point out that the most effective policy response will be twofold: to develop programs to ’avoid’ the looming NCD burden of disease to the extent possible–for example, through public health interventions and improved health care–and simultaneously to ’prepare’ to address the health system and economic pressures that will arise from the increase in NCDs due to the aging of populations. This book will be of interest to governments, international organizations, universities, and research institutions focusing on health care, economic policy, public health, and poverty reduction strategies.