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. |
From inside the book
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... increased consumption of industrially processed fatty , salty and sugary foods . In the slums of today's megacities , we are seeing noncommunicable diseases caused by unhealthy diets and habits , side by side with undernutrition . As I ...
... increases in blood pressure , unfavourable cholesterol levels and increased resistance to insulin . They raise the risks of coronary heart disease , stroke , diabe- tes mellitus , and many forms of cancer . The report shows that obesity ...
... increase being most marked in developing countries . However , most of the smoking - related disease burden is still found in industrialized countries . Global alcohol consumption has increased in recent decades , with most or all of ...
... increasing level of tobacco consumption , particularly in Asia , is one clear example . The report says a substantial increase in government tobacco taxes would pro- duce significant health benefits at very low cost . Government action ...
... increased taxes on tobacco ; legislation to reduce the proportion of salt and other unhealthy components in foods ; stricter environmental controls and ambitious energy policies ; and stronger health promotion and health safety ...