Abstract:
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently constitute a serious threat to health worldwide, with the situation expected to worsen if concerted actions are not urgently taken. The World Health Organisation (WHO) identified population-based interventions
addressing four NCD risk factors – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity; also known as “best buys” – and proposes the use of multi-sectoral approaches (MSA) to engage the public, private, and non-profit sectors to implement these best buys. In November 2014, the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), led Cameroon and five other African countries in a study to analyse how countries are addressing NCD prevention in order to best facilitate MSA for NCD prevention in Africa.
