That is all it would take, according to a report issued in September by the World Health Organization.
The report was meant for international leaders and stakeholders who might benefit from cost effective measures to reduce the incidence and burden of noncommunicable disease conditions (formerly known as chronic disease).
The information from the report is similar to what was highlighted in a recent blog post centered on the UN Summit that was held in NYC this past September.
I saved the article that gave an overview of the report because it mentioned something that is of great interest to me: population based public health measures.
The examples given include taxes on alcohol and tobacco, promoting smoke free indoor environments, reducing the availability of foods high in saturated fat content and using health promotion to encourage positive dietary behaviors and exercise. Population level strategies can reach a great number of persons and therefore allow us to get the most for every penny we spend.
It is really important to note that this is not only a US problem, or a UK, Australian or Mexican one. It is a world problem. As countries move from low income to middle and high, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease also rises. This is in large part due to the influx of energy dense, nutrient poor foods and to a lesser extent, a decrease in physical activity.
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