Enhancing global capacity in the surveillance, prevention, and control of chronic diseases: seven themes to consider and build upon
- B C K Choi1,
- D V McQueen2,
- P Puska3,
- K A Douglas4,
- M Ackland5,
- S Campostrini6,
- A Barceló7,
- S Stachenko8,
- A H Mokdad9,
- R Granero10,
- S J Corber11,
- A-J Valleron12,
- H A Skinner13,
- R Potemkina14,
- M C Lindner15,
- D Zakus16,
- L M de Salazar17,
- A W P Pak18,
- Z Ansari19,
- J C Zevallos20,
- M Gonzalez21,
- A Flahault22,
- R E Torres23
- 1Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Government of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 2National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS), Atlanta, GA, USA
- 3National Public Health Institute (KTL), Helsinki, Finland
- 4Nyon, Switzerland
- 5Communicable Disease Control Unit, Public Health Branch, Victorian Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Australia
- 6Department of Statistics, University of Venice, Venice, Italy
- 7Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Washington DC, USA
- 8Public Health Agency of Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 9Behavioral Surveillance Branch, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS), Atlanta, GA, USA
- 10ASCARDIO and Ministry of Health and Social Development; Americas’ Network for Chronic Disease Surveillance (AMNET), Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- 11Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- 12Doctoral School of Public Health and Information Science, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
- 13Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 14State Research Centre for Preventine Medicine, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
- 15Department of Clinical Laboratory, Clinical Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de la República Oriental del Uruguay; Ministry of Public Health, Montevideo, Uruguay
- 16Centre for International Health; Department of Public Health Sciences and Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 17Center for Evaluation of Public Health, Policies, Programs and Technologies, CEDETES; School of Public Health, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- 18Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 19Health Surveillance, Chronic Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology, Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services, Victorian Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Australia
- 20Endowed Health Services Research Center, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- 21Observatory of Chronic Diseases, National Institute of Health of Colombia; Diagnosis and Intervention of Cardiovascular and Chronic Disease Risk Factors in the Population, National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- 22WHO Collaborating Centre for Electronic Surveillance of Diseases, Paris; French School of Public Health, Rennes, France
- 23Oficina General de Estadística e Informática, Non-Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health, Lima, Peru
- Dr Bernard C K Choi, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Government of Canada, PL 6701A, 120 Colonnade Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 1B4; Bernard_Choi{at}phac-aspc.gc.ca
- Accepted 1 October 2007
Abstract
Background: Chronic diseases are now a major health problem in developing countries as well as in the developed world. Although chronic diseases cannot be communicated from person to person, their risk factors (for example, smoking, inactivity, dietary habits) are readily transferred around the world. With increasing human progress and technological advance, the pandemic of chronic diseases will become an even bigger threat to global health.
Methods: Based on our experiences and publications as well as review of the literature, we contribute ideas and working examples that might help enhance global capacity in the surveillance of chronic diseases and their prevention and control. Innovative ideas and solutions were actively sought.
Results: Ideas and working examples to help enhance global capacity were grouped under seven themes, concisely summarised by the acronym “SCIENCE”: Strategy, Collaboration, Information, Education, Novelty, Communication and Evaluation.
Conclusion: Building a basis for action using the seven themes articulated, especially by incorporating innovative ideas, we presented here, can help enhance global capacity in chronic disease surveillance, prevention and control. Informed initiatives can help achieve the new World Health Organization global goal of reducing chronic disease death rates by 2% annually, generate new ideas for effective interventions and ultimately bring global chronic diseases under greater control.
Footnotes
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Funding: None.
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Competing interests: None.
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Contributors: Study concept and design: BCKC, DVMcQ, PP, KAD; acquisition of data: all authors; analysis and interpretation of data: all authors; drafting of the manuscript: BCKC; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: all authors; administrative or technical support: BCKC, DVMcQ, AHM; study supervision: BCKC.
