Ten Public Policies Enhancing Mental Health Services Accessibility in 2026
The state of mental health across global populations remains a critical public health challenge entering the mid-2020s. Despite growing recognition of mental health’s parity with physical health, significant systemic barriers continue to impede accessible, affordable, and high-quality care for many individuals. By 2026, realizing genuine equity in mental healthcare requires deliberate and robust public policy interventions. Accessibility is not merely about the physical presence of clinics; it encompasses financial affordability, cultural relevance, workforce availability, technological integration, and the dismantling of stigma embedded within societal structures. To address these multifaceted challenges, ten specific public policies, spanning financing, workforce development, technology regulation, and integration of care, must be prioritized and effectively implemented by 2026 to radically enhance mental health services accessibility. These policies aim to create a seamless, equitable, and proactive system capable of meeting diverse community needs.
Policy 1: Full Implementation of Mental Health Parity Laws with Enhanced Enforcement
The foundational step for accessibility involves ensuring that insurance coverage for mental health conditions is truly equivalent to physical health coverage, a concept known as parity. While many jurisdictions have parity laws on the books, enforcement often lags, allowing insurers to impose higher co-pays, stricter prior authorization requirements, or narrower provider networks for mental health treatments. By 2026, a crucial policy must be the establishment of an independent, well-funded regulatory body tasked solely with auditing mental health claims across all insurance plans quarterly. This body must possess the authority to levy substantial, escalating financial penalties against insurers found non-compliant. For example, if a state mandates $20 co-pays for cardiology visits, the policy must enforce an identical co-pay structure for equivalent outpatient psychotherapy sessions, actively monitoring utilization management techniques that disproportionately target behavioral health.
Policy 2: Establishment of Universal Integrated Behavioral Health Teams in Primary Care Settings
A significant barrier to care is the separation between physical and mental health treatment settings. Policy focus by 2026 must shift towards mandating and funding the integration of behavioral health specialists directly into primary care practices. This involves federal and state incentives for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and private practices to adopt the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM). This policy would fund hiring master’s level care managers and on-site behavioral health consultants who can conduct immediate screenings, brief interventions, and warm handoffs for common conditions like depression and anxiety during routine physicals. This dramatically reduces the logistical and psychological hurdle of seeking specialty care separately.
Policy 3: Aggressive Expansion of Loan Forgiveness Programs for Rural and Underserved Mental Health Professionals
Workforce shortages, particularly in rural areas and inner-city centers, cripple accessibility. A powerful policy tool is the radical expansion and simplification of existing loan forgiveness programs, specifically targeting psychiatrists, clinical social workers, and licensed professional counselors who commit to practicing in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) for a minimum of five years. Furthermore, this policy must include scholarships dedicated solely to training culturally competent providers who reflect the demographics of the communities they serve, moving beyond generic diversity goals to concrete workforce pipeline development.
Policy 4: Mandated Reimbursement Parity for Telehealth and Digital Therapeutics
The pandemic accelerated the adoption of mental health telehealth, but sustainability requires policy commitment. By 2026, policies must ensure that reimbursement rates for asynchronous and synchronous mental health services delivered via telehealth are equal to in-person visit reimbursement, without time-of-service restrictions that disadvantage virtual care. Crucially, this includes creating regulatory pathways that allow insurance coverage for evidence-based digital therapeutics software, such as cognitive behavioral therapy applications, when prescribed by a licensed clinician, acknowledging their role as legitimate treatment modalities.
Policy 5: Creation of a National Mental Health Crisis Response System Coordinated with Emergency Services
The reliance on law enforcement as the default first responder for mental health crises is both ineffective and dangerous. A vital policy shift involves fully funding and standardizing a national, non-police crisis response infrastructure, modeled after successful pilot programs like CAHOOTS in Oregon. This means establishing 988 call centers that dispatch mobile crisis teams comprised of mental health professionals and peer support specialists for non-violent emergencies, reserving law enforcement intervention only for situations involving immediate, credible threats of serious harm.
Policy 6: Subsidization and Regulation of Sliding Scale Fees Based on Local Poverty Metrics
Financial access remains a major impediment, even with insurance. A key policy involves creating a federal matching grant program for community mental health centers that agree to cap out-of-pocket costs for uninsured or underinsured clients based on a transparent sliding scale tied directly to the local Federal Poverty Level (FPL). For instance, a clinic receiving this subsidy must charge no more than 2 percent of a client’s monthly income for a standard therapy session, ensuring low-income individuals are not forced to choose between treatment and basic needs.
Policy 7: Implementation of Mental Health Literacy Curricula in K-12 and Mandatory Employee Training
Reducing stigma is an access enhancer because it encourages help-seeking behavior. Policy must mandate the adoption of evidence-based mental health literacy curricula (covering recognition, resources, and response) in all public schools from middle school onward. Complementing this, regulations should require large and mid-sized employers to conduct annual, comprehensive mental health awareness and resource training for all staff and management, transforming workplaces into environments less hostile to disclosure and support seeking.
Policy 8: Dedicated Funding for Peer Support Specialist Certification and Integration
Peer support specialists, individuals with lived experience in recovery, offer unique insight and reduce the perceived "otherness" of clinical environments. A policy priority for 2026 is the establishment of a national framework for the certification, scope of practice definition, and standardized reimbursement for peer support services across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. This acknowledges the therapeutic value of lived experience and rapidly expands the available workforce capacity outside traditional clinical roles.
Policy 9: Expansion of School-Based Mental Health Services through Direct Federal Funding Formulas
For children and adolescents, the school environment is often the most accessible point of contact. Policy must shift from simple guidance counseling to direct funding mechanisms that ensure a minimum ratio of dedicated mental health professionals (psychologists, social workers) to students, perhaps one professional per 250 students, far exceeding current averages. This funding must be earmarked specifically for clinical services, not general administrative overhead, treating the school clinic as a true extension of community health infrastructure.
Policy 10: Regulation of Data Sharing and Interoperability Standards for Coordinated Care Records
Fragmented patient records hinder continuity of care, especially when a patient moves between emergency services, primary care, and specialty mental health. A final, crucial policy involves establishing strict, federally mandated interoperability standards (similar to those for physical health records) for electronic health records used in behavioral health. This requires strong privacy safeguards but ensures that authorized providers across the continuum of care have immediate access to relevant history, medication lists, and treatment plans, thus improving safety and service quality for highly vulnerable populations accessing multiple systems.
Conclusion
Enhancing mental health services accessibility by 2026 demands a comprehensive, multi-pronged policy approach that addresses financial barriers, structural inequities, workforce gaps, and cultural stigma simultaneously. The ten policies outlined-ranging from rigorous parity enforcement and integrated care models to innovative crisis response systems and workforce incentives-represent necessary foundational shifts. Successful implementation will require sustained political will and significant financial investment, treating mental health infrastructure not as an optional add-on, but as a core component of national public health security. Achieving genuine accessibility means moving beyond symbolic acknowledgement to enacting structural reforms that ensure every individual, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status, can easily connect with the right level of care exactly when they need it.
Bibliography
- World Health Organization. Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030. WHO Press, 2021.
- World Health Organization. World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All. WHO, 2022.
- OECD. A New Benchmark for Mental Health Systems: Tackling the High Cost of Mental Ill-Health. OECD Publishing, 2021.
- United Nations. Universal Health Coverage and Mental Health: Policy Directions for Sustainable Development. UN Publications, 2023.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Mental Health Parity: Policy, Enforcement, and Access. NAMI, 2023.
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Ten Public Policies for Strengthening Data Privacy Protection in 2026
By early 2026, data privacy has entered a period of accelerated regulatory change. Governments are responding to AI‑driven risks, cross‑border data tensions, and high‑profile enforcement actions. Recent developments-such as the U.S. FTC’s warnings to data brokers about foreign transfers, the EU’s Digital Omnibus negotiations, and new AI governance initiatives-underscore the urgency of a coordinated, future‑proof privacy framework.
The following updated policies reflect this evolving landscape and incorporate February 2026 regulatory signals across the U.S., EU, UK, and APAC.
Core Legislative and Enforcement Policies
1. Harmonizing Global Data Transfer Standards
The need for interoperable transfer rules has intensified. In February 2026, the U.S. and Argentina formalized a framework recognizing the U.S. as an adequate jurisdiction for cross‑border transfers, signaling a trend toward bilateral adequacy‑style agreements. A 2026 policy must therefore promote:
- Bilateral and multilateral adequacy frameworks modeled on GDPR but flexible enough to accommodate national security concerns.
- Explicit safeguards for AI‑related data flows, given new restrictions on transferring sensitive data to “foreign adversary” jurisdictions.
2. Establishing an Independent Digital Ombudsman
Recent enforcement patterns-such as record fines for opt‑out failures in California and increased scrutiny of children’s data-demonstrate the need for a specialized, proactive oversight body. An Ombudsman should:
- Conduct systemic audits of high‑risk sectors (adtech, biometrics, AI).
- Possess binding decision authority, similar to the EU’s EDPB but with clearer judicial review pathways, especially after the CJEU confirmed that companies may challenge EDPB decisions directly.
3. Mandating Privacy by Design in Government Procurement
Given the rapid adoption of AI agents and automated systems in public administration-highlighted by NIST’s 2026 AI Agent Standards Initiative-governments must require verifiable privacy engineering before procurement. This includes:
- Mandatory privacy threat modeling for all public-sector digital tools.
- Proof of secure biometric authentication where applicable, aligned with the EU’s proposed new derogations for special‑category data.
4. Creating a National Data Portability Scorecard
With global regulators emphasizing user control, a standardized scorecard would:
- Rate companies on export completeness, machine readability, and interoperability.
- Encourage competition similar to energy‑efficiency labeling, especially as digital trade agreements (e.g., EU-Singapore DTA) increasingly require strong portability rights.
Addressing Technological Challenges
5. Regulating Algorithmic Transparency and Bias Audits
February 2026 saw multiple developments:
- The EU delayed guidance on high‑risk AI classifications under the AI Act.
- Ireland advanced national enforcement legislation for the Act.
- U.S. states issued memos clarifying how civil rights and consumer protection laws apply to AI.
A 2026 policy must therefore require:
- Third‑party bias audits for all consequential automated decisions.
- Disclosure of training data categories, especially where sensitive inferences may arise.
- Appeal rights for individuals affected by automated decisions.
6. Securing the Internet of Things Ecosystem
With IoT devices continuing to be a major attack vector, and courts reaffirming that pseudonymized data still counts as personal data if the controller can re‑identify it, IoT security obligations must be strengthened. Key requirements include:
- Minimum security baselines (unique credentials, encrypted storage).
- Mandatory security update lifecycles tied to product lifespan.
- Clear end‑of‑support disclosures at point of sale.
7. Explicit Consent Requirements for Data Inferences
As AI systems increasingly infer sensitive traits, this policy must now reflect:
- The EU’s ongoing debate over the definition of personal data, with regulators resisting attempts to narrow it.
- The legal trend that inferred or pseudonymized data remains personal if re‑identifiable by the controller.
Thus, inferred sensitive data should be treated as special‑category data, requiring explicit, separate consent.
Empowering Individuals and Ensuring Accountability
8. Implementing Statutory Damages for Privacy Violations
Given the difficulty of proving harm in algorithmic or data‑broker contexts, statutory damages would:
- Provide predictable remedies for individuals.
- Strengthen deterrence, especially in light of recent multimillion‑dollar fines for opt‑out failures and children’s data violations.
9. Mandating Data Minimization by Default
Recent cases show that companies cannot justify weak security by claiming stolen data was incomplete or pseudonymized. A 2026 policy should require:
- Strict necessity tests before collection.
- Short retention schedules unless legally required otherwise.
- Sector‑specific minimization standards for retail, finance, health, and mobility data.
10. Digital Literacy as a Mandated Component of Public Education
With AI‑driven misinformation, opaque privacy settings, and complex consent flows, digital literacy is now a national resilience issue. Curricula should include:
- Understanding algorithmic decision‑making and its risks.
- Recognizing dark patterns and manipulative consent flows.
- Practical skills for managing privacy dashboards and data exports.
Conclusion
As of February 2026, global privacy governance is in a state of rapid evolution. The ten updated policies reflect not only long‑standing structural issues but also the newest regulatory signals-from AI Act implementation delays to cross‑border data adequacy agreements and strengthened enforcement actions. Together, these policies form a coherent, future‑ready blueprint for a privacy‑resilient digital ecosystem where innovation and fundamental rights reinforce rather than undermine each other.
Bibliography
- European Commission. EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework: Implementation and Adequacy Developments. Brussels: European Commission, 2025-2026.
- European Data Protection Board (EDPB). Guidelines on Data Transfers, Pseudonymization, and High‑Risk Processing. EDPB Publications, 2024-2026.
- Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Judgments on Supervisory Authority Powers and Cross‑Border Enforcement. Luxembourg: CJEU, 2025-2026.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Data Broker Oversight and Cross‑Border Transfer Enforcement Actions. Washington, D.C.: FTC, 2025-2026.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). AI Agent Standards Initiative: Draft Framework for Safe and Transparent AI Systems. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST, 2026.
- UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Algorithmic Transparency, Bias Audits, and Children’s Data Guidance. London: ICO, 2024-2026.
- OECD. Cross‑Border Data Flows and Global Digital Governance: 2025-2026 Outlook. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2026.
- Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Digital Trade Agreements and Data Portability Standards. Singapore: IMDA, 2025-2026.
- California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA). Enforcement Reports on Opt‑Out Violations, Dark Patterns, and Automated Decision‑Making. Sacramento: CPPA, 2025-2026.
- World Economic Forum (WEF). Global Risks Report 2026: Data, AI, and Cybersecurity. Geneva: WEF, 2026.
Ten Public Policies Aimed at Reducing Income Inequality in 2026
Income inequality remains a defining socioeconomic challenge of the mid‑2020s. Although market forces shape much of the distribution of income, governments across the world-particularly in the OECD and the European Union-have demonstrated that targeted fiscal, labor, and social policies can significantly reduce disparities. Recent analyses show that taxes and transfers reduce relative poverty in every OECD country, with the most substantial reductions occurring in France and Finland, where redistribution lowers poverty by 27–28 percentage points.
Within the EU, inequality levels have broadly returned to pre‑crisis patterns, but public concern remains high: four out of five EU citizens believe inequality is excessive. Policymakers increasingly rely on integrated frameworks that address pre‑market, in‑market, and post‑market drivers of inequality, especially in the context of digital and green transitions.
Against this backdrop, ten policy directions stand out as essential for reducing income inequality by 2026.
Core Fiscal and Tax Reforms
1. Strengthening Progressive Income Taxation
OECD evidence confirms that progressive taxation remains one of the most effective tools for reducing inequality. Countries such as France and Finland demonstrate how robust tax‑and‑transfer systems can dramatically narrow income gaps.
2. Reforming Capital Gains and Investment Income Taxation
Aligning capital gains tax rates with labor income taxation reduces preferential treatment of wealth‑derived income. Several EU Member States have moved toward narrowing these gaps to ensure fairness and broaden the tax base.
3. Implementing High‑Threshold Wealth Taxes
While politically sensitive, wealth taxes-debated in the EU and tested in countries like Spain and Norway-offer a mechanism to address extreme wealth concentration and generate revenue for social investment.
Strengthening the Labor Market
4. Raising and Indexing Minimum Wages
The EU’s 2022 Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages continues to influence Member States’ wage‑setting mechanisms. By 2025, several countries have indexed minimum wages to inflation and productivity, helping protect low‑income workers from real‑wage erosion.
5. Enhancing Competition and Anti‑Trust Enforcement
OECD analysis highlights that concentrated labor markets depress wages. Stronger anti‑trust enforcement-particularly in digital and platform‑dominated sectors-helps restore bargaining power and wage growth.
6. Expanding Collective Bargaining Rights
Countries with high collective bargaining coverage, such as those in Northern Europe, consistently exhibit lower inequality. Simplifying unionization procedures and promoting sectoral bargaining can replicate these outcomes elsewhere.
Investment in Human Capital and Opportunity
7. Universal Access to High‑Quality Early Childhood Education
The EU and OECD both emphasize early childhood education as a long‑term equalizer. Universal access improves lifetime earnings potential and reduces intergenerational inequality.
8. Large‑Scale Investment in Skills, Vocational Training, and Green Transition Jobs
The EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan and national recovery strategies prioritize reskilling in green technology, healthcare, and digital sectors. These investments help workers transition out of low‑wage occupations and support inclusive growth.
Direct Social Safety Net Enhancements
9. Expanding Earned Income Tax Credits and In‑Work Benefits
OECD data shows that cash transfers and tax credits significantly reduce poverty and inequality. Expanding EITC‑style programs-especially for workers without dependent children-provides immediate income support and strengthens work incentives.
10. Establishing Universal Basic Services
International experience shows that reducing essential living costs-through affordable housing, healthcare, transport, and digital access-effectively increases disposable income for low‑ and middle‑income households. EU Member States with strong universal services (e.g., Nordic countries) consistently achieve the lowest inequality levels.
Conclusion
Reducing income inequality by 2026 requires a coordinated, multi‑layered strategy. International evidence from the OECD and EU demonstrates that:
- Fiscal redistribution remains a powerful equalizer.
- Labor market institutions-minimum wages, competition policy, and collective bargaining-shape wage distribution.
- Human capital investment is essential for long‑term mobility.
- Universal services and targeted transfers provide immediate relief and structural fairness.
While no single policy is sufficient, the combined implementation of these ten measures—supported by international best practices-offers a robust framework for building a more equitable and resilient society.
Bibliografia
- European Commission. Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2024. Brussels: European Union, 2024.
- European Commission. Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on Adequate Minimum Wages in the European Union. Brussels: EU Publications, 2022.
- OECD. Income Inequality and Poverty in OECD Countries: 2024 Update. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2024.
- OECD. Tax Policy Reforms 2024: OECD and Selected Partner Economies. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2024.
- OECD. Skills Outlook 2024: Skills for a Resilient Green Transition. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2024.
- Piketty, Thomas. Capital and Ideology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2020.
- Saez, Emmanuel; Zucman, Gabriel. The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay. New York: W.W. Norton, 2020.
- Stiglitz, Joseph E. The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013.
- World Bank. Global Economic Prospects 2025. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2025.
- International Labour Organization (ILO). World Employment and Social Outlook 2024. Geneva: ILO, 2024.
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The Dark Side of Sugar
Sugar, once a symbol of luxury and scarcity, has become an omnipresent ingredient in the modern diet. In 2025, its consumption remains one of the greatest public health concerns, not only because of excess calories but also due to the systemic impact it provokes. Refined sugar, present in soft drinks, processed products, and even in foods labeled as “healthy,” reveals a troubling reality: its addictive power, the physiological harm it causes, and the difficult but possible path to dietary freedom. Understanding this triad of addiction, harm, and recovery is essential to face the challenges of today’s food environment.
The Neurological Hook: Sugar as an Addictive Substance
The attraction to sweetness is rooted in human biology, an evolutionary signal for energy-rich foods. However, in 2025, the food industry continues to exploit this natural predisposition, overloading products with sucrose, fructose, and concentrated syrups. Recent studies confirm that repeated consumption activates the brain’s reward circuits, releasing dopamine and creating a reinforcement cycle similar to that of addictive drugs.
Over time, tolerance sets in, requiring more consumption to achieve the same pleasure. Withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, headaches, and fatigue are now recognized as real signs of dependence. Sugar has ceased to be merely a pleasant taste and has become an agent of compulsion, capable of altering behavior and hindering conscious food choices.
Physiological Consequences of Excess
The damage caused by excessive sugar consumption goes far beyond weight gain. In 2025, scientific evidence reinforces that:
- The liver, overloaded, transforms excess glucose into fat, increasing cases of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), common among adolescents.
- Insulin resistance remains one of the greatest risk factors for type 2 diabetes, which continues to rise globally.
- Sugar fuels silent inflammatory processes that affect the heart, brain, and immune system.
- Recent studies associate chronic sugar consumption with accelerated cognitive decline, greater risk of dementia, and negative impacts on mental health.
The body suffers systemically, confirming that sugar is not merely an empty calorie but a pathogenic agent when consumed in excess.
The Path to Freedom
Breaking free from sugar addiction requires a multifaceted approach. In 2025, specialists recommend:
- Food awareness: identifying hidden sources of sugar in processed foods and beverages.
- Nutritional education: learning to interpret labels and recognize the different names of added sugars.
- Gradual substitution: choosing fresh fruits and whole foods, rich in fiber, which satisfy without causing glycemic spikes.
- Progressive reduction: instead of cutting abruptly, decreasing consumption step by step helps the brain readjust its dopamine receptors.
- Palate reeducation: over time, satiety signals normalize and the craving for intense sweets diminishes.
Food freedom becomes a sustainable reality when discipline, patience, and awareness are combined.
Conclusion
Thus, in December 2025, sugar is recognized as one of the greatest global public health challenges. Transformed by industry into an addictive and harmful product, it demands vigilance and changes in habits. Recognizing its neurological and physiological impact is the first step. Liberation requires conscious choices, gradual reduction, and dietary reeducation. By regaining control over the palate and reducing exposure, it is possible to restore metabolic health and break the cycle of dependence imposed by the modern food system.
Bibliography
World Health Organization (WHO). Guidelines on Sugar Intake for Adults and Children. Geneva, 2025.
Portuguese Nutrition Society. Report on Sugar Consumption in Portugal. Lisbon, 2025.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Sugar and Health: Updated Evidence. Boston, 2025.
National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge. Impact of Sugary Drink Consumption on Adolescent Health. Lisbon, 2025.
American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Chicago, 2025.
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Worldwide 59.5 million people are displaced –22 million more than a decade ago
Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body, and/or spread to other organs. The latter process is called metastasizing and is a major cause of death from cancer. A neoplasm and malignant tumour are other common names for cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths, in 2018. Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.
The cancer burden continues to grow globally, exerting tremendous physical, emotional, and financial strain on individuals, families, communities, and health systems. Many health systems in low- and middle-income countries are least prepared to manage this burden, and large numbers of cancer patients globally do not have access to timely quality diagnosis and treatment. In countries where health systems are strong, survival rates of many types of cancers are improving thanks to accessible early detection, quality treatment, and survivorship care.
- Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths.
- The most common cancers are breast, lung, colon and rectum and prostate cancers.
- Around one-third of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, alcohol consumption, low fruit and vegetable intake, and lack of physical activity.
- Cancer-causing infections, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis, are responsible for approximately 30% of cancer cases in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
- Many cancers can be cured if detected early and treated effectively.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions. More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. These “intermediate risks factors” can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.
Cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, eating more fruit and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Health policies that create conducive environments for making healthy choices affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviours.
Identifying those at the highest risk of CVDs and ensuring they receive appropriate treatment can prevent premature deaths. Access to noncommunicable disease medicines and basic health technologies in all primary health care facilities is essential to ensure that those in need receive treatment and counselling.
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally.
- An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.
- Over three-quarters of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries.
- Out of the 17 million premature deaths (under the age of 70) due to noncommunicable diseases in 2019, 38% were caused by CVDs.
- Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioural risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity, and harmful use of alcohol.
- It is important to detect the cardiovascular disease as early as possible so that management with counselling and medicines can begin.
THE LANCET DIABETES & ENDOCRINOLOGY
THE LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
