The four biggest killers--cardiovascular disease, several cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease--are tied to three main risks tobacco use, unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity. Researchers and policy makers will present compelling new evidence on the devastating economic and human impact of these diseases, which have received too little attention from governments and policy makers, in countries as diverse as China and India, South Africa and Brazil and the United States.

The conference is a call to action by researchers and industry leaders to address what the organizers call a preventable tragedy. The Oxford Health Alliance, through its action research arm, enables chronic-disease researchers from both the developed and developing worlds to pilot research projects. Their progress will be reported along with new global actions in an annual review to be released at the meeting. The overall goal of the conference is to raise awareness about the need for timely action on policy and at the grass roots level.

The diverse members of The Oxford Health Alliance are a multi-disciplinary consortium, including representatives from industry, non-governmental organizations, academia and U.N. agencies, who work together on many fronts, including community-based initiatives designed to raise awareness about the need for intervention and advocacy for effective policies.

"The World Health Organization recently released a major report showing that chronic diseases are the dominant cause of death in developing and developed countries," said Derek Yach, professor of global health in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) at Yale and the event's host. "This conference will emphasize the urgent need for
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Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
26-Oct-2005