The global diffusion of non-communicable diseases
The global diffusion of non-communicable diseases
Notwithstanding the threat of infectious pandemics, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now the leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in all regions of the world except Africa. The rise in NCDs, especially in the developing world, is very much a result of global market integration, trade and investment liberalization, and the growth in the reach and power of transnational corporations whose stock-in-trade are health-harmful commodities (tobacco, alcohol, and obesogenic foods). The modern global governance challenge of what are now referred to as the ‘commercial determinants of health’ is the extent to which such commodities are regulated by governments, passed over to corporate social (self-) responsibility, or seen as an amalgam of the poor lifestyles of individuals in need of a behavioural ‘nudge’. The World Health Organization, the lead international organization developing responses to the NCD threat, must confront powerful member nations representing powerful corporate interests resistant to regulatory change.
Keywords: NCDs, big tobacco, big alcohol, obesogenic foods, commercial determinants of health, NCD ‘best buys’, FCTC, tobacco farming livelihoods, corporate social responsibility, soda taxes
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
