Legal capacities required for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases

Magnusson, Roger; McGrady, Benn; Gostin, Lawrence O.; Patterson, David; Taleb, Hala

doi:10.2471/blt.18.213777

Cited by 32 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Regulatory and legislative action is required for the introduction and enforcement of new rules around tobacco and alcohol production, marketing, distribution, and use. Industry engagement is needed for widespread changes to food content, and the participation of municipalities and institutions is necessary to introduce improvements to road-and walkways [27,28]. More than a simple coordination problem, many of the regulations face active opposition from the tobacco, alcohol, and food industries, whose economic interests are threatened [29][30][31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) strategic plans in low- and lower-middle income Sub-Saharan Africa: framing and policy response

Boudreaux¹,

Noble²,

Coates

et al. 2020

Global Health Action

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Global efforts to address NCDs focus primarily on 4-by-4 interventions-interventions to prevent and treat four groups of conditions affecting mainly older adults (some cardiovascular disease and cancers, type 2 diabetes, chronic respiratory disease) and four associated risk factors (alcohol, tobacco, poor diets, and physical inactivity). However, the NCD burden in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is composed of a more diverse set of conditions, driven by a more complex group of risks, and impacting all segments of the population. Objective: To document the NCD priorities identified by NCD strategic plans, to characterize the proposed policy response, and to assess the alignment between the two. Methods: Using a two-part conceptual framework, we undertook a descriptive study to characterize the framing and overall policy response of strategic plans from 24 low-and lower-middle-income countries across SSA. Results: The national situation assessments that ground strategic plans emphasize a diversity of conditions that range in terms of severity and frequency. These assessments also highlight a wide diversity of factors that shape this burden. Most include discussions of a broad range of behavioral, structural, genetic, and infectious risk factors. Plans endorse a more narrow response to this diverse burden, with a focus on primary and secondary prevention that is generally convergent with the objectives established in global policy documents. Conclusions: Broadly, we observe that plans developed by countries in SSA recognize the heterogeneity of the NCD burden in this region. However, they emphasize interventions that are consistent with global strategies focused on preventing a narrower set of cardiometabolic risk factors and their associated diseases. In comparison, relatively few countries detail plans to prevent, treat, and palliate the full scope of the needs they identify. There is a need for increased support for bottom-up planning efforts to address local priorities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) strategic plans in low- and lower-middle income Sub-Saharan Africa: framing and policy response

Boudreaux¹,

Noble²,

Coates

et al. 2020

Global Health Action

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tangcharoensathien and colleagues describe key tactics used by “Big” Food, Tobacco, and Alcohol to weaken or forestall NCD prevention measures, including litigating against strong public health interventions, using front groups to counter public health recommendations, funding and influencing research favourable to industry interests, and gaining preferential access to policy-making processes by building relationships with health leaders and legislators. 4 Industry uses a range of other tools to influence policies harmful to its economic interests, including pre-emption of state, provincial, or local laws to prevent NCDs; adopting self-regulation or voluntary measures to stave off stronger statutory regulation 9,10 ; and shaping public dialogue on NCD causation, promoting discourses of individual choice, personal responsibility, and the “Nanny State,” while resisting science-based interventions that facilitate shared responsibility and government action on NCDs. 11 In addition, industry actors tend to set their own targets or metrics for what they are willing to achieve in NCD prevention, rather than adopting more stringent best-practice targets recommended by national governments or the World Health Organization (WHO).…”

Section: Industry Influence On Ncd Law and Policy-makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Equally important are comprehensive national prevention strategies, including legal, regulatory, and fiscal capacities such as taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (now introduced in over 40 countries worldwide), 6 excise taxes to discourage alcohol purchasing and consumption, and mandatory warning labels on cigarette packets, alcoholic beverages, and unhealthy foods and drinks, with some countries currently exploring graphic warning labels for sugary beverages. 7-9 Tangcharoensathien and colleagues aptly describe a major challenge faced by LMICs in robustly regulating multinational corporations, namely industry’s undue influence on law and policy-making. 4 The authors in this commentary discuss strategies for ameliorating industry interference and conflicts of interest in the design and implementation of NCD prevention measures.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

"Big" Food, Tobacco, and Alcohol: Reducing Industry Influence on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention Laws and Policies Comment on "Addressing NCDs: Challenges From Industry Market Promotion and Interferences"

Reeve

Gostin

2019

Int J Health Policy Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The food, tobacco and alcohol industries have penetrated markets in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with a significant impact on these countries’ burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Tangcharoensathien and colleagues describe the aggressive marketing of unhealthy food, alcohol and tobacco in LMICs, as well as key tactics used by these industries to resist laws and policies designed to reduce behavioural risk factors for NCDs. This commentary expands on the recommendations made by Tangcharoensathien and colleagues for preventing or managing conflicts of interest and reducing undue industry influence on NCD prevention policies and laws, focusing on the needs of LMICs. A growing body of research proposes ways to design voluntary industry initiatives to make them more effective, transparent and accountable, but governments should also consider whether collaboration with health-harming industries is ever appropriate. More fundamentally, mechanisms for identifying, managing and mitigating conflicts of interest and reducing industry influence must be woven into – and supported by – broader governance and regulatory structures at both national and international levels.

show abstract

“…Finally, States and the donor community should invest in relevant legal capacity building including legal literacy on international human rights law and implications for the obesity response and provide resources for civil society empowerment to advocate for greater State action to address obesity . These recommendations are summarized in [Box ].…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying a human rights–based approach to obesity for States and civil society

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Obesity and its comorbidities pose daunting challenges to global health and development in the 21st century. This paper reviews some commonalities between obesity and another global health challenge, the pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). International human rights law was an important catalyst for civil society movements that helped to overcome inertia and generate political will for State action in response to HIV and AIDS. Drawing on the HIV experience, the authors propose a conceptual model for a human rights–based response to obesity founded on the twin pillars of State obligations and civil society engagement. Framing States' obligations to address the global obesity pandemic as a matter of international law, informed by the examples of the United Nations “International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights” and the General Comments of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies on HIV and AIDS, provides a normative framework to guide State actions and opportunities to engage the extensive accountability mechanisms of the United Nations international human rights system. In addition, it provides civil society organizations with the language and tools to demand State action on obesity. The authors call for similar authoritative guidance for States on the application of international human rights law to obesity.

show abstract

Legal capacities required for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases

Cited by 32 publications

References 23 publications

Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) strategic plans in low- and lower-middle income Sub-Saharan Africa: framing and policy response

Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) strategic plans in low- and lower-middle income Sub-Saharan Africa: framing and policy response

"Big" Food, Tobacco, and Alcohol: Reducing Industry Influence on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention Laws and Policies Comment on "Addressing NCDs: Challenges From Industry Market Promotion and Interferences"

Identifying a human rights–based approach to obesity for States and civil society

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About