• Chronic diseases are now the major cause of death and disability worldwide. Non-Communicable conditions, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, obesity, cancer and respiratory diseases, now account for 59% of the 57 million deaths annually and 46% of the global burden of disease.
• Common risk factors - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and alcohol - cause the majority of the chronic disease burden.
• A change in tobacco control, dietary habits and physical activity has a major impact in reducing the rates of these chronic NCDs, often in a relatively short time.
• Heart attacks and strokes kill about 12 million people every year; another 3.9 million die from hypertensive and other heart conditions.
• More than one billion adults worldwide are overweight; at least 300 million of them are clinically obese.
• About 75% of CVD can be attributed to the majority risks: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, tobacco use, low fruit and vegetable intake, and low physical activity.
• Sustained primary and secondary interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing population risk factors.

Published STEPS Reports in the Pacific island countries and areas

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