N UTRITION, H EALTH AND C HRONIC D ISEASES Franco Sassi PhD OECD, Health Division 3 rd OECD Food Chain Network meeting Paris, October 2012

UN High-level Meeting on NCDs

Leading Risk Factors for Health Attributable Mortality, 2004 Source: WHO, 2009

Deaths from NCDs Worldwide, by Income Group Source: WHO estimates and projections, 2008

The Obesity Epidemic Source: OECD Obesity Update, 2012

Obesity: a Global Epidemic India China Russia OECD Brazil S Africa UK Mexico % of adult population In Brazil, obesity tripled in men and doubled in women in 30 years; in India, up to 40% are overweight in urban areas Diabetes in China is now as common as in the US Obesity accounts for less than 1% of GDP in most OECD countries, over 1% in the US and up to 4% in China

Overweight and Obesity in Children

The Cost of Obesity Sources: Roux & Donaldson, 2004; Konnopka et al., 2011

What Can Prevention Achieve?

An Affordable Prevention Package

Search for more causes? Many causal factors irreversible and likely to have increased welfare, overall Need to search solutions that work: – Effective at individual level – Meaningful impact at population level – Cost-effective – Positive impact on health disparities Where Do We Go from Here?

Increasing choice Information, education, influencing established preferences (nudging) Raising prices on unhealthy choices Banning unhealthy behaviours What Solutions?

Prevention is Everyone’s Business International Organizations Civil Society Private Industries Interest Groups Government Academia Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Health Ministry of Education Ministry of Transport

Breaking barriers – Listening to each other – Opening our minds to different perspectives Improving our understanding of: – What is at stake – What works – What solutions are viable What are We Here for?