DALLAS, Sept. 21, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Heart Association on Wednesday praised the United Nations agreement to fight non-communicable diseases globally and urged world leaders to follow up with firm action.
World health leaders met Monday and Tuesday at the UN summit in New York City and approved a political declaration to address the world's most significant health challenge, the rise of non-communicable diseases. The declaration was signed by the United Nations member states and addresses tobacco, industrially produced trans fats in foods and several other key issues related to the world's leading non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.
The summit itself is a significant statement about the global dangers of non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, as it is only the second meeting ever at the UN to focus on a global disease issue. NCDs kill 36 million people a year – more than all other causes combined. They are the most frequent cause of death in most countries and account for nearly two thirds of all deaths globally. Despite the declaration, the American Heart Association said much work remains.
"This high level of participating leadership is a good sign and demonstrates to the world that something will be done to address non-communicable diseases," said Gordon Tomaselli, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. "But we have to hold our governments accountable that something will happen and that civil society can be part of the solution to ensure action is taken sooner rather than later as the threat of non-communicable diseases continues to rise."
The American Heart Association, one of the leading health organizations in the country, participated as one of several groups invited as part of the official U.S. delegation. The political declaration calls on member states to strengthen policies and programs related to NCDs into their health planning processes.
The American Heart Association was pleased by the commitment to accelerated implementation of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention of Tobacco Control and that countries recognize the fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry and public health. The WHO tobacco framework includes important measures to reduce tobacco consumption and availability. It was agreed that tobacco taxation is an effective strategy to reducing tobacco consumption that can contribute to the prevention of the leading NCDs. The American Heart Association also was pleased that the declaration included a commitment to eliminate industrially produced trans fats in foods and to implement interventions to reduce the consumption of salt, sugars and saturated fats.
Although the declaration lacked a global salt reduction target, the association remains hopeful that it will be another step in helping consumers understand that salt reduction as important for cardiovascular health. The association recommends at most 1,500 milligrams a day of sodium a day – significantly lower than the average American's current intake.
Member states agreed to introduce policies and actions aimed at promoting healthy diets and increasing physical activity. These preventive measures are key to reducing the risk of NCDs, and are part of the American Heart Association's emphasis on disease prevention.
The American Heart Association was honored to be a part of the summit and will work with its partners to put the goals put into action. One of the most important takeaways from the summit is to ensure that the new commitment to tackling NCDs becomes integrated into the global development agenda through links to the review of the Millennium Development Goals and any successor goals. Global indicators should be developed by the end 2011 with a plan to review progress to date in 2014.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.
About the NCD Alliance
The NCD Alliance comprises the International Diabetes Federation, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, the Union for International Cancer Control, the World Heart Federation and its partners: the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Framework Convention Alliance, Global Health Council, LIVESTRONG, Norwegian Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation.
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