1. The Context of NCD Prevention and Health Promotion: A
synopsis of the challenges and opportunities
Rio de Janeiro
May 2011
David V. McQueen
Immediate Past President IUHPE

2. Health Promotion as Seen
Through the Lens of NCDs
 The NCDs include the major chronic diseases
 Plus injuries and environmental health concerns
 Plus the social determinants of health (SDOH)
 Plus the key behavioral risk factors
 Plus the key issues of the day: equity,
urbanization, globalization, poverty, etc.
 All of the above relate to physical activity

3. The Challenge of NCDs in general
Challenge #1
Differing priorities in each country; diseases, risk factors,
health promotion

4. Challenge #2
History and development of NCD prevention within the
public health system over time – transition from
infectious to chronic disease has been slow, capacity has
not caught up, and there continues to be a focus on data
collection and treatment strategies, rather than including
broader community-based prevention models.

5. Challenge #3
There are numerous underutilized academic institutions
that can support local solutions and build local capacity.
There is a great need to link research to the academic
world

6. Challenge #4
There are too many partners trying to do the same thing.
Focus, prioritize, strategize.

7. Challenge #5
There are too many silos, and a great lack of integrated approach
to NCDs
Integration enables:
- efficient use of staff, funds, and surveillance and intervention efforts;
- continuity in the wake of reduction in state and federal funding for chronic disease prevention;
- maximization of efforts among stakeholders and partners.
Slonim AB, Callaghan C, Daily L, Leonard BA, Wheeler FC, Gollmar CW, Young WF. Recommendations for integration of
chronic disease programs: are your programs linked? Prev Chronic Dis Vol.2, No.2. 2007 Apr [Accessed January 28, 2010].
Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/

8. Challenge #6
There is a lack of intersectoral action to address NCDs
and their risk factors.

9. Challenge #7
There is too much focus on mortality and morbidity data
and not enough effort on risk factor surveillance and use
of data. In other words, there is too much information
and not enough knowledge, and further, use of that
knowledge.

10. Challenge #8
In general, there is a lack of sustainable strategies linked
to health promotion and social determinants of health.

11. The opportunities
-An integrated approach;
-The most effective strategies available;
-Locally applied solutions;
- Solutions applied across sectors;
- Strategies that take a health promotion approach that
addresses social determinants, and;
-partners, doing what they do best
- MDG UNGA

12. What we need to do and recognize
 Total NCD burden and its complexity
 Bringing a health promotion perspective in
 Piecemeal approach has been of limited utility
 Economic burden critical, but how reduced is the key
 Tie to development, poverty, sustainability, SDOH
 Tying NCDs to all of global health
 Use evidence we have,but develop more

13. Thanks
D V McQueen
davidmcqueen07@gmail.com