{"id":18846,"date":"2024-07-11T10:09:21","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T10:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interhospi.com\/?p=18846"},"modified":"2024-07-11T10:09:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T10:09:21","slug":"who-europe-report-exposes-industry-tactics-fuelling-ncd-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interhospi.com\/who-europe-report-exposes-industry-tactics-fuelling-ncd-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO Europe report exposes industry tactics fuelling NCD epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WHO Europe report exposes industry tactics fuelling NCD epidemic<\/h1>alcohol<\/a><\/span>, corporates<\/a><\/span>, NCDs<\/a><\/span>, tobacco<\/a><\/span>, ultra-processed foods<\/a><\/span>, WHO<\/a><\/span>, Editors' Picks<\/a>, Featured Articles<\/a>, Non Communicable Diseases<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/header>\n<\/div><\/section>
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A groundbreaking report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals how powerful industries are driving the non-communicable disease crisis across Europe and central Asia. The report calls for urgent action to protect public health policies from corporate interference.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Four key industries identified<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a scathing indictment of corporate practices, the World Health Organization\u2019s European office has released a comprehensive report detailing how specific industries are actively undermining public health efforts and contributing to the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the region. The report, titled \u201cCommercial determinants of noncommunicable diseases in the WHO European Region\u201d, provides an unprecedented look into the tactics employed by major industries to prioritise profits over population health.<\/p>\n

The document, launched by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, Frank Vandenbroucke, in Brussels, paints a stark picture of the commercial landscape driving the NCD epidemic. It identifies four key industries \u2013 tobacco, ultra-processed foods, fossil fuels, and alcohol \u2013 as being wholly or partly responsible for a staggering 2.7 million deaths per year in the European Region alone.<\/p>\n

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, did not mince words in his assessment of the situation: \u201cFour industries kill at least 7000 people in our Region every day. The same large commercial entities block regulation that would protect the public from harmful products and marketing, and protect health policy from industry interference.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report meticulously outlines how these industries, along with others such as pharmaceutical and medical device companies, engage in a range of practices designed to shape structural, policy, and information environments to their advantage. This \u201cindustry playbook\u201d includes tactics such as political lobbying, spreading misinformation and disinformation, harmful financial practices, and targeted marketing strategies aimed at vulnerable populations, including children and young people.<\/p>\n

Consolidation of power and its consequences<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the most alarming findings of the report is the extent to which industry consolidation has amplified corporate influence. The concentration of power in the hands of a small number of transnational corporations has enabled these entities to exert significant control over the political and legal contexts in which they operate. This consolidation has made it increasingly difficult for governments and public health advocates to implement and enforce regulations that could impact industry profit margins.<\/p>\n

The report highlights how this power imbalance has led to a systemic failure in regulating harmful industry practices. As a result, commercial influence has grown unchecked, while public wealth and power have declined. This trend has perpetuated industry-driven health harms, particularly in the realm of NCDs, which account for a staggering 90% of deaths in the European Region.<\/p>\n

Deceptive practices and policy interference<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The WHO report provides a series of case studies that illustrate the breadth and depth of corporate capture of public policy and policymaking. These examples demonstrate how \u201cbig industry\u201d employs both overt and covert methods to delay, deter, and block NCD prevention policies, such as tobacco control measures and mandatory health and nutrition labelling for food and alcohol products.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the report documents harmful industry practices in disease management, including the inequitable pricing and availability of cancer drugs and the promotion of non-evidence-based and unregulated screening tests. These practices not only undermine public health efforts but also exacerbate health inequalities across the region.<\/p>\n

Minister Vandenbroucke emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in addressing these issues: \u201cFor too long we have considered risk factors as being mostly linked to individual choices. We need to re-frame the problem as a systemic problem, where policy has to counter \u2018hyper-consumption environments\u2019, restrict marketing and stop interference in policy-making.\u201d<\/p>\n

A call to action<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The report serves as a rallying cry for the 53 Member States in the European Region to take decisive action against the commercial influences fuelling the NCD epidemic. It calls for a multi-faceted approach that addresses industry practices at all levels \u2013 individual, environmental, public policy, and political economic systems.<\/p>\n

Key recommendations include:<\/strong><\/h4>\n