3 commitments, to be
achieved by 2019, focus on curbing obesity
GENEVA – Today(22) Brazil
became the first country to make SMART¨1commitments as part of the
United Nations (UN) Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016–2025. Ricardo Barros,
Minister of Health of Brazil, made the announcement at the UN in Geneva, on the
first day of the Seventieth World Health Assembly.
Brazil’s 3 commitments, to
be achieved by 2019, are as follows:
Left to Right - Sr Ricardo
Barros, Minister of Health of Brazil; Dr Carissa Etienne, Regional Director for
WHO in the Americas and Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for
Noncommunicable Diseases
WHO/NHD/J.
Muriel
1. Stop
the growth in the adult obesity rate (which currently stands at 20.8%)
2. Reduce
by at least 30% consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults
3. Increase
by at least 17.8% the proportion of adults who regularly eat fruit and
vegetables
Brazil outlined specific
policy measures it will take to achieve these goals. These include fiscal
measures (tax reductions, subsidies) to reduce the price of fresh foods,
microcredit loans to family farmers, and cash transfers to poor families so
that they can buy fresh produce.
The government also
committed to providing healthier meals and nutrition education to children in
public schools, and increasing public procurement of foods from family farmers.
They will develop and distribute new educational materials on healthy diet for
the population, teachers and health workers.
They will reduce the amount
of salt and sugars in processed foods, and revise regulations on food labelling
so that added sugars are declared on the front of the pack. They will regulate
the promotion of food and drinks targeting children, and restrict sales and
advertisement of processed food in health and education facilities and public
agencies.
They will increase
breastfeeding promotion through the country’s primary health care clinics,
increase the number of physical activity facilities, and improve access to care
for people who are overweight or obese.
Currently, noncommunicable
diseases are the cause of more than 70% of deaths in Brazil. Overweight and
obesity are major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases such as heart
disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
At a ceremony in Geneva,
the commitments made by Brazil were welcomed by Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO’s
Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases, and Dr Carissa
Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) the Regional
Director for WHO in the Americas.
“The most important part of
the Nutrition Decade is action, and Brazil is the first to make a SMART
commitment. We hope that many others will follow,” said Dr Chestnov.
WHO/NHD/J. Muriel
“In the Americas,
noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of premature deaths. I hope
other countries in the Region will follow Brazil and take steps to implement
these kinds of actions. I’m proud that the Region of the Americas is taking the
lead in the Decade of Action on Nutrition, and PAHO and WHO are ready to help
you implement these commitments,” said Dr Etienne.
In April 2016, the UN
General Assembly proclaimed 2016–2025 the Decade of Action on Nutrition. Led by
WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the
Nutrition Decade is a framework for making commitments, tracking progress, and
ensuring mutual accountability in line with global nutrition targets2.
The Decade calls for policy
action across six key areas:
1.
2. creating
sustainable, resilient food systems for healthy diets;
3. providing
social protection and nutrition-related education for all;
4. aligning
health systems to nutrition needs, and providing universal coverage of
essential nutrition interventions;
5. ensuring
that trade and investment policies improve nutrition;
6. building
safe and supportive environments for nutrition at all ages; and
7. strengthening
and promoting nutrition governance and accountability.
1 SMART = specific,
measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
2 World Health
Assembly global nutrition targets to be achieved by 2025: 1) 40%
reduction in the number of children under 5 who are stunted; 2) 50% reduction
in the number of women of reproductive age with anaemia; 3) 30% reduction in
the number of infants with low-birth-weight; 4) no increase in childhood
overweight prevalence; 5) increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the
first 6 months to at least 50% of infants; and 6) reduce and maintain the
proportion of children who are wasted to less than 5%. Second
International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) diet-related noncommunicable
disease targets to be achieved by 2025: 1) reduce population salt
intake by 30%; and 2) halt the increase in obesity prevalence in adolescents
and adults. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals to be
achieved by 2030: SDG 2 end hunger, achieve food security and improved
nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture; and SDG 3 ensure healthy lives
and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.
