Abstract
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for a high proportion of death and disability in all countries. In developing countries the burden of disease caused by NCDs is increasing rapidly. If the current rapid increase in NCDs is left uncontrolled there will be significant social, economic, and health consequences for these populations which, in turn, will threaten to overwhelm already stretched health services. The most cost-effective approach to containing this emerging epidemic is primary prevention based on comprehensive, population-based programmes. Fortunately, the major risk factors—tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol—of the most common NCDs are amenable to prevention. Although most of this evidence comes from developed countries, it appears that the causal relationships are broadly similar in developing countries.
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Bonita, R., Winkelmann, R., Douglas, K.A., de Courten, M. (2003). The WHO Stepwise Approach to Surveillance (Steps) of Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors. In: McQueen, D.V., Puska, P. (eds) Global Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0071-1_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0071-1_3
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