Practices implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as flexible working arrangements and teleworking, could help to reduce work-related mental health challenges, according to a first-ever set of Guidelines on Mental Health at Work released Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in what was already a high percentage […] Continue reading ->
Infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria have long been the biggest public health challenges in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but over the past decade, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have risen at an alarming rate. While every country faces a growing NCD burden, low- and middle-income countries are seeing the fastest increase. This epidemiological shift […] Continue reading ->
Children with type 1 diabetes living in rural parts of the world’s poorest countries often struggle to get life-saving insulin as programmes addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) tend to be urban-based and adult-focused. But an initiative to address life-threatening NCDs affecting children and young adults – particularly type 1 diabetes, rheumatic and congenital heart disease, and […] Continue reading ->
If all countries significantly raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages, this could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years, according to Michael Bloomberg, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Injuries. “Plus, the taxes would raise more than $20 trillion in revenue to support public health […] Continue reading ->
Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently.  Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and […] Continue reading ->
Amber Huett-Garcia has struggled with obesity since she was in first grade. “Now in adulthood, despite reducing my BMI from 69 to 24 (245 lbs. lost), I still carry the expensive diagnosis of obesity,” she wrote in a recent blog for the Noncommunicable Disease Alliance (NCD Alliance). “I’ve used pharmacotherapy, surgical interventions, mental health care […] Continue reading ->
Non-nutritive artificial sweeteners duplicate the taste of sugar but have fewer calories. As such, sugar alternatives like saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and stevia are often consumed in large quantities by people looking to watch their weight or shed a few pounds. But a team of researchers from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science said these alternative sugars […] Continue reading ->