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Chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low‐ and middle‐income countries have recently provoked a surge of public interest. This article examines the policy literature—notably the archives and publications of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has dominated this field—to analyze the emergence and consolidation of this new agenda. Starting with programs to control cardiovascular disease in the 1970s, experts from Eastern and Western Europe had by the late 1980s consolidated a program for the prevention of NCD risk factors at the WHO. NCDs remained a relatively minor concern until the collaboration of World Bank health economists with WHO epidemiologists led to the Global Burden of Disease study that provided an "evidentiary breakthrough" for NCD activism by quantifying the extent of the problem. Soon after, WHO itself, facing severe criticism, underwent major reform. NCD advocacy contributed to revitalizing WHO's normative and coordinative functions. By leading a growing advocacy coalition, within which The Lancet played a key role, WHO established itself as a leading institution in this domain. However, ever‐widening concern with NCDs has not yet led to major reallocation of funding in favor of NCD programs in the developing world.

Against the background of the growing burden associated with diabetes mellitus, the German Federal Ministry of Health commissioned the Robert Koch Institute to develop a national diabetes surveillance. The periodic publication of up-todate data needed by diverse target audiences (dissemination) to develop subsequent public health measures is a crucial aspect of disease surveillance. The study produced an overview of diabetes surveillance in various countries with the intention of developing a dissemination strategy. This involved a two-stage process beginning with an online survey of public health experts from 46 countries. Structured Internet research was then carried out for countries that did not provide a response (19 out of 46). The majority of countries (38 out of 46; 83%) include diabetes in their health reporting; three quarters (29 out of 38; 77%) of these countries rely on an indicator-based reporting system. The study found that the most common formats used to publish information about diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases were topic-specific reports (24 out of 36; 67%) and national health reports (23 out of 36; 64%), followed by online formats such as websites or databases (20 out of 36; 57%). Moreover, health reporting primarily targets politicians (19 out of 20; 95%) as well as the media and the press (16 out of 20; 80%). The study found that both printed and online publications form part of a comprehensive dissemination strategy, however address different audiences. ; Peer Reviewed

One of the Maltese Government's objectives in improving the health status of the population is 'To add health to life by increasing years lived free from ill-health, reducing or minimising the adverse effects of illness and disability, promoting healthy lifestyles, healthy physical and social environments and overall, improving quality of life' ; peer-reviewed

Objective: To model the reduction in premature deaths attributed to noncommunicable diseases if targets for reformulation of processed food agreed between the Portuguese health ministry and the food industry were met. Methods: The 2015 co-regulation agreement sets voluntary targets for reducing sugar, salt and trans-fatty acids in a range of products by 2021. We obtained government data on dietary intake in 2015-2016 and on population structure and deaths from four major noncommunicable diseases over 1990-2016. We used the Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl tool to estimate the deaths averted if reformulation targets were met in full. We projected future trends in noncommunicable disease deaths using regression modelling and assessed whether Portugal was on track to reduce baseline premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the year 2010 by 25% by 2025, and by 30% before 2030. Findings: If reformulation targets were met, we projected reductions in intake in 2015-2016 for salt from 7.6 g/day to 7.1 g/day; in total energy from 1911 kcal/day to 1897 kcal/day due to reduced sugar intake; and in total fat (% total energy) from 30.4% to 30.3% due to reduced trans-fat intake. This consumption profile would result in 248 fewer premature noncommunicable disease deaths (95% CI: 178 to 318) in 2016. We projected that full implementation of the industry agreement would reduce the risk of premature death from 11.0% in 2016 to 10.7% by 2021. Conclusion: The co-regulation agreement could save lives and reduce the risk of premature death in Portugal. Nevertheless, the projected impact on mortality was insufficient to meet international targets.