If the changes to alcohol prices come in, this would see a two-litre bottle of Tesco brand cider go from £1.32 to £3.80, while Asda whisky would rise from £9.20 to £12.60. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon maintained that costs would only rise for high-strength products sold at rock-bottom prices. According to figures from the government, the price of big-named brands would not change if they retail over £14.

Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Getting the price right is vital for minimum pricing to work – too low and it will simply be ineffective.’ She further stated that by introducing a minimum 45p per unit price, there would be 50 fewer deaths in the first year after the policy was implemented, a £5.5m reduction in health care costs and 1,200 fewer hospital admissions from alcohol-related conditions. She hopes that the plans will be accepted in Scotland: ‘Our proposals have already won backing from respected health professionals at home and abroad and I hope, for the sake of our nation’s health, they will also win the backing of the Scottish Parliament.’ The proposals have backed by the British Medical Association in Scotland, the Royal College of Physicians and Alcohol Concern.

Source: BBC News, 2 September 2010.

42% of Greeks over the age of 15 smoke, a figure well above the European average of 29%.

The Greek health ministry said the measures were needed after partial smoking bans over the last eight years were generally ignored. The prime minister, George Papandreou, said: ‘It will contribute to the work we’re doing today that’s aimed at changing attitudes, norms and behaviour to improve our quality of life.’

Source: Guardian.co.uk, 1 September 2010.

In order to reduce widening inequalities in this way, an alternative approach is population-wide CVD prevention – and there is increasing evidence that the population-wide approach can reduce inequalities. Actions taken include: legislating for smoke-free public spaces, banning dietary transfats, or halving daily dietary salt intake. Such strategies are generally effective and cost-saving. The authors of the study in PLoS Medicine, Capewell and Graham, conclude that screening and treating high-risk individuals represents a relatively ineffective CVD prevention approach – and one that typically widens social inequalities.

Source: PLOS Medicine, 24 August 2010.

The impact of the disease is not evenly spread between countries. Cancer costs the United States 1.73 per cent of GDP – whereas in Hungary, although costs are lower in absolute terms, the economic cost is 3.05 per cent of GDP.

83 million years of ‘healthy life’ were lost due to death and disability due to cancer in 2008.

Source: The Global Economic Cost of Cancer, American Cancer Society and LIVESTRONG: Executive summary >>, 16 August 2010

Dr Jenny Fidler, lead author based at Cancer Research UK’s health behaviour research centre at UCL, said: ‘The new law looks to have helped reduce smoking prevalence among younger age groups. This is good news for the future health of this generation of young people and shows that tobacco policies can make a real difference.’ With more than 80 per cent of smokers starting before the age of 19 and half of all long-term smokers dying of cancer or other smoking-related diseases, preventing young people from starting in the first place will reduce deaths from tobacco. Jean King, Cancer Research UK’s director of tobacco control, argues for greater regulatory measures to achieve this: ‘We need to do more to protect young people. We urge the government to prevent more lives being lost to an addiction that will kill half of all long-term smokers. Rolling out the regulations to remove tobacco displays in shops and getting rid of cigarette vending machines is needed and wanted by the public.’

Source: UCL News, 18 August 2010.

The result of the programme thus far has been that bars and restaurants on Olavarria are 100% tobacco-free, as well as in many shopping centres. In addition, 60 health workers, 50 teachers and 350 students received tobacco-related training, with eight tobacco health centres having been established. From looking at local health data, the impact of the programme has been vast for Olavarria. In 2005 33% of adults used tobacco and almost half of the mortality rate was attributed to chronic diseases which can be caused by tobacco use such as stroke, hypertension and cancer. Since the implementation of the programme, the overall adult smoking prevalence in Olavarria decreased by 18% over four years and local hospitals saw a 30% decrease in CVD-related visits. The work of the programme is far from over and it continues to make vast developments. In early August a ban on smoking on university campuses was enacted and Dr Raul Pitarque is planning to bring Olavarria’s successful model to neighboring cities.

Source: ProCor News, 17 August 2010.

• The International Community Health Awards are for organisations whose ideas in health promotion and disease prevention have made a significant contribution to improving the well-being of individuals and local communities.  Each initiative will receive a $5,000 towards continuing their work.
• The International Workplace Health Awards will highlight workplace health-promotion initiatives that have successfully improved health and reduced disease risk.

The awards have been established by URAC and the Global Knowledge Exchange Network on Health (GKEN). The deadline for submitting nominations is 3 September. For more information, visit www.aihpa.org

Source: AIHPA press release.

This call for proposals is intended for partnerships between academic groups based in India and the UK .

For more information, click here >>

Submission deadline for letters of intent is 21 October 2010 at 12.30 British Summer Time (UK applicants) / 17.00 Indian Standard Time (Indian applicants).

The new initiative was also mentioned by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, during his visit to India, at a speech given in Bangalore on 28 July: ‘UK and India research funders have committed up to £60 million worth of jointly funded research into climate change, water and food security, and disease prevention’: http://ukun.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressR&id=22610066

Sources: UK MRC; UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Source: Prehypertension.org.

The most common cause of death in those with the strongest link between mortality and waist size was respiratory disease, followed by cardiovascular disease and then cancer.

Dr David Haslam, chair of the National Obesity Forum, felt the research had significant implications: ‘This underlines the message that fat inside the belly is dangerous. Even if you have a normal BMI and a big tummy then you are just as much at risk as someone who is classified as obese with a large tummy.’

The study adds support to other research which has shown that abdominal obesity is a strong indicator for a range of chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes.

Source: BBC News online, 9 August 2010.