Non-Communicable Diseases & Public Health
Why Non-Communicable Diseases & Public Health Matters
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory conditions are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Their burden is shaped by individual risk factors as well as social,economic and environmental conditions within communities.
Effective prevention and management of NCDs require population-level public health approaches that address access to care, education, social support and the conditions in which people live and work. Strengthening community and system-level responses is essential to reducing avoidable disease burden and health inequalities across the lifecourse.
Our Focus
This Learning Zone examines public health approaches to NCD prevention and control, with a focus on:
- The influence of social determinants on NCD risk and outcomes
- Community-based models of prevention and care
- The role of public, private and cross-sector partnerships in addressing NCD burden
- Strategies to strengthen primary care and preventive services for chronic disease management
Drawing on science-policy dialogue, this Learning Zone explores how integrated public health strategies can support sustainable NCD prevention and healthier communities.
Resource Kits
The Learning Zone includes curated Resource Kits—collections of expert materials focused on key topics within the theme. These kits provide practical tools, insights, and evidence to support your work in advancing health prevention across the life course.
The rising burden of chronic diseases and mental health disorders is deeply rooted in our environments, the food we eat, and the experiences we’re exposed to from early life onward. This Resource Kit explores how epigenetic science, dietary environments, and social determinants converge to shape long-term health outcomes—often starting before birth and continuing across generations.
From the lasting impact of early-life nutrition and toxin exposure on gene expression to the role of ultra-processed food marketing and limited access to healthy choices in driving obesity and diabetes, the kit highlights the systemic factors influencing today's health crises. It also addresses the growing mental health epidemic, examining how poverty, social isolation, and stigma create barriers to care—and what communities can do to break them.
