CIH

Lifestyle challenges of the 21st century

Around the world, lifestyles are changing. Globalisation is leading to advances in technology, changes to the built environment and food habits, and increased advertising.
It is increasingly difficult to make healthy choices:
- access, availability and affordability of healthy foods are decreasing while unhealthy foods have become readily available and cheap
- tobacco products are widely advertised and readily available
- environments that promote physical activity are dwindling
Three risk factors – poor diet, tobacco use and lack of physical activity – lead to four chronic diseases – cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, chronic lung disease and many cancers – that account for well over 50% of deaths worldwide.
Chronic diseases are rising at alarming rates in both developed and developing countries:
- over 1 billion people are overweight or obese
- diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide (expected to affect 380 million by 2025)
- CVD is the primary cause of death worldwide
The economic impact of these diseases is staggering – the World Health Organisation predicts that in the next 10 years, China, India and the UK will lose $558 billion, $237 billion and $33 billion, respectively, in foregone national income due to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Simple solutions to preventing chronic disease exist, yet are not being implemented.

Barriers to implementation

Barriers to implementation include the following:

time and monetary constraints for engaging in healthy behaviors
lack of knowledge and awareness of disease risk, as well as solutions
varying cultural perceptions of good health (such as ideal body weight)
lack of accessibility, affordability and availability of healthy options
insufficient knowledge and awareness of evidence-based practices for preventing chronic disease.

What is Community Interventions for Health?

CIH is the community action arm of the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA). Click here for more information >>
CIH focuses on disease prevention through addressing the risk factors for chronic disease (poor diet, lack of physical activity and tobacco use) and the barriers to change.
CIH draws upon the knowledge and skills of researchers around the globe who work together to implement and evaluate interventions to address chronic disease risk factors through comprehensive community interventions.

Why is prevention important?

Prevention is critical on two levels: ethics and cost.

It is unethical for decision-makers to fail to take the steps that are needed to prevent millions of people from developing chronic diseases.
Once a chronic disease is present, the high cost of healthcare, as well as the unavailability of health services in some areas, excludes the majority of the population from accessing treatment. Health systems have finite resources and are unable to meet the needs of the population if the growth in chronic disease continues unabated.

Advisory Board, Expert Panel and Intervention Committee

CIH has an Advisory Board, Expert Panel and Intervention Committee. Click here >> to see the members.

The Oxford Health Alliance is a registered charity, no. 1117580