The World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy LifeWorld Health Organization, 2002 - 248 pages The World Health Report 2002 measures the amount of disease, disability, and health in the world today that can be attributed to some of the most important risks to human health. Even more importantly, it also calculates how much of this present burden could be avoided in the next 10 years. The World Health Report 2002 represents one of the largest research projects ever undertaken by WHO, in collaboration with experts worldwide. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO, describes this report as a wake up call to the global community. The report quantifies some of the most important risks to human health and examines a range of methods to reduce them. The ultimate goal is to help governments of all countries to lower major risks to health, and thereby raise the healthy life expectancy of their populations. The risk factors range from underweight, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene to high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, and obesity. The report's findings give an intriguing - and alarming - insight into not just the current causes of disease and death and the factors underlying them, but also into human patterns of living and how some may be changing around the world while others remain dangerously unchanged. Dr Brundtland says: This report helps every country in the world to see what measures it can take to reduce risks and promote healthy life for its own population. |
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... associated with wealthy societies , such as high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol , tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption , obesity and physical inactivity . These risks , and the diseases linked to them , are now dominant ...
... associated with infectious diseases , such as viruses , bacteria , and antimicrobial resistance , are not included . Instead the report concentrates on a selection of risk factors - real risks to health , and often the actual causes of ...
... associated with deficiencies in Vitamin A , iodine , and zinc . Vitamin A deficiency is the lead- ing cause of acquired blindness in children . Iodine deficiency is probably the single most preventable cause of mental retardation and ...
... associated with cardiovascular disease was found to be cost - effective . Population - wide strategies to lower cholesterol by reducing salt intake are always very cost - effective both singly and in combination . In addition ...
... associated with certain cancers , and the deliberate use of microbial agents to cause harm through terrorism or warfare . More generally , the generation and application of new knowledge about diseases and their control has played a ...