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24.06.2025
Highlights from the JA PreventNCD annual meeting in Katowice, Poland
The JA PreventNCD project is gaining momentum across Europe, with several concrete outputs already taking shape. The project annual meeting took place on June 16-17 in Katowice, Poland. While priorities are shifting in today’s complex landscape, the prevention of noncommunicable diseases remains a top priority. Tackling persistent health inequalities and addressing social and commercial determinants of health in a structural way were highlighted as urgent tasks. Partners also emphasised the need to institutionalise stakeholder, youth, and population engagement, alongside strengthening monitoring systems as a basis for prioritising action. Evaluation and sustainability work is advancing steadily, ensuring the long-term impact of this collaborative effort.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/highlights-from-the-ja-preventncd-annual-meeting-in-katowice-poland/
07.03.2025
Advancing NCD Prevention: Key Takeaways from the Budapest ExCo Meeting
The first in-person meeting of the JA PreventNCD Executive Committee (ExCo) External Advisory Board (EEAB) meetings of 2025 were held on March 5-6, at the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK) in Budapest, Hungary. These meetings are milestones for the project, bringing together work package (WP) leaders, the EEAB members and the project’s coordinators of cross-cutting themes, nutrition, physical activity, alcohol and tobacco to discuss progress, challenges and the way forward. Day 1: Strategic Discussions and Project Outcomes The meeting began with a warm welcome from Dr. Orsolya Surján, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at NNGYK, alongside Dr. Krisztina Biró Ministry of Interior, Department for Health Policy and JA PreventNCD coordinators Prof. Knut-Inge Klepp and Dr. Linda Granlund. The morning sessions focused on sustainability and best practices, with expert insights from the European Commission, WHO, and OECD on leveraging EU Best Practice Portals and WHO Best Buys for effective NCD prevention strategies. Presentations from Dr. Gauden Galea and Dr. Marion Devaux emphasized the importance of policy-driven, evidence-based approaches to public health challenges. Throughout the day, discussions covered key project outcomes and expected 2025 outputs, with leaders working on regulation and taxation, health in all policies, identifying individuals at risk, social inequalities, healthy living environments monitoring. Additionally, the participants discussed sustainability and long-term strategies for maintaining project impact beyond the Joint Action’s duration. Day 2: Evaluation, Communication, and Future Strategies Day two focused on project evaluation, covering key outcomes, methodologies, and plans for selecting implementation case studies. Later in the morning, updates on communication strategies, stakeholder mapping, and private sector involvement were shared, followed by a surprise segment and a group photo. The afternoon featured parallel meetings, with the ExCo addressing reporting, thematic coordination, and risk monitoring, while the EEAB held its own discussions. The meeting concluded with feedback from EEAB members, final reflections, and a discussion on the next steps for JA PreventNCD presented by the Chair of the Board Prof. Harry Rutter. Looking Ahead The Budapest ExCo and EEAB meetings reinforced the project’s commitment to advancing NCD prevention in Europe. With a strong foundation in place, discussions focused on how to move forward, improve strategies, and maximize impact. Work packages addressed previous feedback, fostering valuable reflections from the EEAB. Participants emphasized the importance of breaking silos, creating synergies, and aligning efforts across the initiative. As one of the largest EU4Health Joint Actions to date, JA PreventNCD aims to demonstrate meaningful impact by fostering collaboration, promoting high scientific quality, and ensuring coherence in objectives. The meeting served as a platform to evaluate progress, identify challenges, and explore solutions, laying the groundwork for the next phase of the project.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/advancing-ncd-prevention-key-takeaways-from-the-budapest-exco-meeting/
27.11.2024
Humanizing Health: Key Insights from the 7th World Innovation Summit for Health in Qatar
From November 12–14, 2024, global health leaders, policymakers, and youth advocates convened at the Qatar National Convention Centre for the 7th World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). This year’s theme, "Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity, and Resilience," brought attention to pressing global health issues, with a focus on the hardships experienced by populations in conflict zones, such as Gaza and Sudan, and several sessions addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Kate Ndocko, member of the Prevent NCD Youth Advisory Group (YAG), participated in the forum as a member of the WHO Youth Council and attended the first-ever WISH Youth Forum held one day before the main event. The forum brought together young healthcare professionals from Qatar and 13 members of the WHO Youth Council to exchange ideas on advancing palliative care, addressing the ethics of AI in healthcare, and building on the successes of organizations like the EMRO WHO Youth Council, the IFMSA, and the WHO Youth Council. The Youth Forum set the stage for the wider summit, emphasizing the value of youth engagement in shaping global health strategies.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/humanizing-health-key-insights-from-the-7th-world-innovation-summit-for-health-in-qatar/
31.10.2024
Making WHO European Region the Healthiest Online Environment for children: Restrict harmful marketing
JA PreventNCD is co-organizing the scientific session “Making WHO European Region the healthiest online environment for children: restrict harmful marketing”, along with WHO Euro and EUPHA, at the European Public Health Conference in Lisbon, November 2024. Marketing exposure, particularly towards children, remains a pervasive challenge, posing a significant threat to children's health and well-being. Despite WHO recommendations, few countries in the WHO European Region have introduced mandatory policies restricting marketing of unhealthy products to children. Furthermore, traditional monitoring tools struggle to keep up with automated and personalized advertisements, making reliable monitoring mechanisms and innovative tools urgently needed. The WHO Regional Office for Europe developed the KidAd platform to address this gap for a tool allowing objective and standardized monitoring of children’s exposure to digital advertising. Regional Adviser for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation, WHO Regional Office For Europe, Kremlin Wickramasinghe (Denmark) and Amandine Garde (EUPHA-LAW), Professor of Law at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, will co-chair this 60-minute scientific session. Among the speakers, Olga Zhiteneva, from WHO Europe will present Innovative tools from WHO Europe to protect children from digital marketing of unhealthy products, in particular the KidAd platform, a pioneering tool developed to address these modern challenges by providing an objective product to monitor various marketing materials. The Lead of Task 5.6, Maria João Gregório from the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health, will give an overview on Collaborative efforts of the Joint Action PreventNCD and the WHO Europe to protect children from harmful marketing, focusing on the concrete collaborative actions to support the implementation of the marketing regulation: On JA work with the Member States and especially presidency countries, to allow for the discussions on the development of the EU regulation for reduction of the harmful marketing; On the EU stakeholders positions regarding marketing regulation; On the collaborative actions in scaling up the KidAd app to detect alcohol, tobacco and nicotine-containing products marketing. Finally, Iveta Nagyova, from EUPHA, will identify evidence-based behavioural strategies such as nudges, choice architecture, and social norms that can influence healthier choices, thereby reducing the impact of harmful marketing, with the presentation Leveraging Behavioural Insights to Create Healthier Online Environment for Children.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/making-who-european-region-the-healthiest-online-environment-for-children-restrict-harmful-marketing/
11.05.2026
Listening to Paiporta’s community after the DANA floods
Following the first phase of community sessions in Paiporta, the municipality’s participatory reconstruction process has provided valuable insights into residents’ needs, priorities and experiences after the DANA floods. The reconstruction of Paiporta has entered a new phase focused on citizen participation, with health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention perspectives. In this context, the municipality launched a broad participatory process aimed at identifying the actual needs of its residents. The starting point was the formation of the Paiporta Steering Group, a forum bringing together political representatives, technical experts, associations and local organisations, along with the Torrent Public Health Centre, the Paiporta Health Centre and the General Directorate of Public Health. This group helped establish a solid methodological foundation and a community-based approach from the outset. As part of the process, several community sessions have now been carried out involving a wide range of population groups. The planning included dedicated workshops with people over 60 years old, migrant communities and young people aged between 14 and 18, alongside specific meetings organised across four different areas of the municipality. At the same time, the initiative was coordinated with the Health Promoting Schools intervention, through which around one hundred secondary school students were consulted about their experiences, needs and priorities. Each neighbourhood session brought together around 65 residents of Paiporta aged between 26 and 85, with balanced participation between women and men. Nearly half of the participants held university degrees, while many others had completed higher education studies, and most had a local background. The discussions were structured using the Place Standard Tool, a participatory framework that assesses 14 dimensions of place, from mobility and public transport to social contact, safety and natural spaces. Residents scored each aspect on a scale that helps identify strengths and priorities for improvement.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/listening-to-paiporta-s-community-after-the-dana-floods/
10.10.2024
World Mental Health Day
Mental health is a fundamental component of overall health and wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel and behave, influencing our daily lives, relationships and our ability to cope with stress and face challenges. October 10th is World Mental Health Day, established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health to raise global awareness about critical mental health agendas. This year’s official theme concerns Mental Health at Work: It’s time to prioritize mental health in the workplace. Safe and supportive work environments can play a crucial role in safeguarding mental health. However, negative factors like stigma, discrimination, harassment and poor working conditions pose significant threats, impacting participation and productivity at work, mental wellbeing and overall quality of life. As the EU employment rate is rising and is now over 75%, it is imperative to take action to minimize these risks, foster mental health and create a healthy work environment. A part of the work on Health in all Policies in JA PreventNCD focuses on Mental Health in All Policies (MHiAP), an approach to promoting population mental health and wellbeing by initiating and facilitating action within different non-health public policy areas. The aim is to present recommendations for Member States regarding MHiAP as a useful tool to promote mental health and wellbeing at different levels of governance. A survey has been sent out to map the inclusion of mental health and wellbeing in health and non-health policies at national and regional level. Data collection is underway with emphasis on identifying good practices of mental health promotion at policy level across sectors in participating countries. Examples of mental health promoting policies in the Employment sector are policies affecting flexible working hours, a work-life balance, parental leave and vacation time. Another example could be the implementation of wellness programmes that include stress management workshops, physical activities and mental health days. But policies across other sectors affect people in the workplace as well. Policies ensuring accessible and affordable public transportation, reducing commute stress. Policies ensuring access to quality nutrition, policies improving insurance coverage for mental health services, policies supporting mental health professionals to maintain their own mental health and so on. Mental health stigma can be a significant barrier to creating a supportive work environment. On World Mental Health Day, DG SANTE, the WHO and Mental Health Europe have jointly organised a Webinar on stigma related to mental health where the European Commission will present the EU support package on stigma next to the WHO toolkit on stigma. This work will complement and support the JA PreventNCD activities on mental health stigma which will be aimed at combatting stigma at structural level. JA PreventNCD is also collaborating with and following the work of the Joint Action Mental Health Together (JA MENTOR) which has just started up, to ensure synergies and make sure the work is complementary. Author: Sólrún Ósk Lárusdóttir, Directorate of Health, Iceland. Sólrún leads task 9.2: Developing effective ways to implement Mental Health in All Policies (MiAP) as part of JA PreventNDC.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/blog/world-mental-health-day/
22.07.2026
Why investing in health in the next EU budget matters
The European Union is currently negotiating its next long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework or MFF. The decisions made now will influence whether health promotion and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases receive the sustained support they need.
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/why-investing-in-health-in-the-next-eu-budget-matters/