An Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) report argues that chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular and lung disease, cancer and diabetes, are having such a negative economic impact around the world that national and international policymakers can no longer ignore them. The report, Chronic disease: an economic perspective , therefore urges moving chronic disease higher on the international agenda.
"Chronic diseases are predicted to become the most common causes of death by 2015 in both the developed and developing world," stresses Rachel Nugent, a co-author of the report.
Chronic diseases are "taking a heavy toll on working age adults across the globe and that in low- and middle-income countries, they currently account for about 40% of deaths and 80% of the disease impact for those aged below 60". It refers to economic reports that show the diseases can cost up to 6.8% of a country's GDP. For this reason, the report discusses economic justification for government interference into consumer sovereignty and individual choice in liberal societies of sedentary lifestyles, smoking, alcohol consumption and diet.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number-one cause of death in Europe and industrialised countries, and CVDs alone cost around 3% of EU's annual GDP (135 billion euro) and 500 million lost work days in work-related health problems and accidents.
The European Council has invited the Commission and member states to promote healthy lifestyles to citizens, and the EU's Public Health Action Programme is tackling in particular lifestyle-related determinants of health. This lifestyle-based approach is the first of its kind in EU health policy and recognises that effective prevention presents a solution to EU's health systems' economic problems.
