HEALTH PROMOTION ON A GLOBAL SCALE: OXFORD VISION 2020

The Oxford Health Alliance (formerly Oxford Vision 2020) is a unique and powerful group of more than 60 universities, employers, voluntary health groups, advocacy groups, and government agencies that have come together to stimulate health promotion efforts on a global level¹. It was started by the University of Oxford and Novo Nordisk A/S to support the strategy to combat chronic diseases released by the World Health Organizations in May of 2004.² The groups slogan is 3→4=50, which is short hand for the reality that 3 risk factors (tobacco, diet, and lack of physical exercise) cause 4 chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, and some cancers), which lead to 50% of deaths globally.^3,4 

The founders of the Oxford Health Alliance state that a focus of efforts to address the risk factors of tobacco, diet, and physical activity is critical to the well-being of our global population because the very real scourges of AIDS, TB, and malaria have blinded most media, public funding bodies, and the public at large to the fact that half of the people in the world die due to those four chronic diseases and three risk factors. They use diabetes as an illustration of the burden of this problem, projecting that 400 million people, or one in ten of the world's population, will be suffering from diabetes alone by 2020 if the current spiral continues unabated.

By 2006, they will build the evidence base and the campaigning skills needed to effect policy change. By 2010, they will report the evidence accumulated in their demonstration projects, which are planned for eight countries in three environments— work, school and home—and develop a preliminary research agenda on chronic diseases.

In the short term they will focus on promoting the basic truths about chronic diseases and dispelling the five myths below.

1. We must deal with AIDS/TB/malaria first
No! As development progresses, chronic diseases occur simultaneously with infectious diseases. Healthcare systems need to deal with both types at the same time—especially as co-morbidities occur and infectious diseases can become chronic.

2. Economic growth will automatically improve all health conditions
No! Economic development improves health, but economic growth may also exacerbate chronic diseases.

3. Chronic conditions are the result of individual failure and your own responsibility
No! Social and cultural contexts influence individuals’ personal choices. Thus, governments, industry, and others play an important role too.

4. Chronic conditions are issues for the rich and old in the developed world, and a natural consequence of their lifestyle
No! Low socio-economic status increases exposure to risk factors and decreases access to quality medical care. In developing countries high risk groups skew younger.

5. Treatment of chronic conditions will only benefit people with the specific diseases
No! Controlling chronic diseases drives positive social and economic development, thus benefiting the public as a whole.

The work of the Oxford Health Alliance is exciting because it illustrates that global health leaders are recognizing that health promotion is an integral part of the solution to the health problems of the world. Its efforts to develop a health promotion research agenda, attract resources to support that agenda, and to integrate health promotion concepts into national policies related to agriculture, transportation, commerce, and other areas are completely consistent with Senator Lugar’s legislation titles Health Promotion FIRST (S628)⁵ : advocated by Health Promotion Advocates.⁶

References

1. Oxford Vision 2020. Toward a healthy future. Available at: http://www.oxfordvision2020.org.Accessed May 15, 2005.
2. World Health Organization. May 2004: final strategy document and resolution. Available at: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/strategy/eb11344/en/. Accessed May 15, 2005.
3. Yach D, Hawkes C, Gould CL, Hofman KJ. The global burden of chronic diseases overcoming impediments to prevention and control, JAMA. 2004;291:2616–2622
4. Yach D, Leeder SR, Bell J, Kistnasamy B. Global chronic disease. Science. 2005;307:317.
5. Health Promotion First. Available at : http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.00628. Accessed May 15, 2005.
6. Health Promotion Advocates. Available at: http://www.healthpromotionadvocates.org. Accessed May 15, 2005.
   
   

Michael P. O'Donnell, PhD, MBA, MPH
Editor in Chief, American Journal of Health Promotion