JA PreventNCD - Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases and Cancer
Cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant portion of the disease burden in Europe, much of which is preventable. The Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD) project is designed to address this challenge by supporting strategies and policies that aim to reduce the burden of cancer and NCDs, focusing on both personal and societal risk factors.
The project's major goal is to minimise fragmentation and duplication of efforts and to engage national authorities at various levels to enhance the impact of actions taken. A significant aspect is the rigorous evaluation of these actions to assist authorities in prioritising the most effective prevention strategies. This will contribute to achieving global targets in reducing the NCD burden.
A key objective is to tackle social inequalities by addressing the root causes of NCD risk factors and adopting a life-course approach. The project aims to build a comprehensive European infrastructure for monitoring factors related to cancer and other NCDs. This includes building on existing knowledge and exploring new methods for monitoring risk factors, disease burden, and the impact of policies and interventions. The project emphasises that health is created by policies across sectors, and thus, it is crucial to consider the health and health equity implications of these policies.
- Project duration
- 1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2027
- Project locations
- AustriaBelgiumBulgariaCroatiaCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLithuaniaMaltaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaSloveniaSpainSwedenUkraine
- Overall budget
- €95 523 720
- EU contribution
- €76 409 62080% of the overall budget
- Project website
- JA PreventNCD website
- EU4health - Projects
- Prevention
Results
Expected results:
The short-term impact of the JA is to strengthen holistic and coordinated efforts targeting the burden of cancer and other NCDs among the MSs. To avoid fragmented actions, the JA will secure the joint capacity to target health determinants and shared risk factors. This includes activities to review the potential for improving compliance and enforcement of existing regulations and coherence in fiscal policies. Examples are alcohol and tobacco excise taxes and the role of cross-border trade which requires joint efforts. Another example is mapping and modelling of the impact of policies designed to reduce high risk environmental exposures.
The medium-term impact of the JA will be improvements in disease prevention and health promotion, which will increase the impact of actions and allow MSs to target their specific needs for cancer and other NCD prevention. This includes scaling-up of identified best practices (EU Best Practices Portal) and piloting a wide range of promising policy actions targeting individuals, communities, and structural policy measures at societal levels. Examples at community level include scaling up of the Baby-Friendly Community and Health Services and implementation of pilots to build infrastructures for health promotion at super-setting levels, healthy urban environments, and promotion of environments free of unhealthy products. The project will contribute to a consistent application across countries of relevant policies like a harmonized nutrient model, use of alcohol warning labelling, front of package labelling and well-being economy through developing and implement a Wellbeing Economy toolbox. Gathering and further exploiting population-based monitoring systems to address data-driven decision making for efficient and effective health-related policies is yet another key ambition of the project.
The long-term impact of this JA is to contribute to a reduction in the overall burden of cancer and other NCDs, as well as less social inequalities in health in the MSs. A reduced disease burden will diminish the need for long-term care, and in the long term also individual and public health related expenditures.
