POLITICO asked nine health care experts if Europe is suffering a crisis of lifestyle diseases and if so, what should the next wave of EU policymakers do about it?
The measures that the World Health Organization suggests to tackle diseases caused by malnutrition, tobacco or alcohol are not only contrary to consumer choice, they also do not achieve their objectives.Trying to over-tax products so that demand slows is regressive. It also fuels illicit trade, a trend very noticeable with tobacco and increasingly a problem with alcohol. Acommissioned by tobacco companies showed illicit tobacco trade from Algeria to France has increased 300 percent since 2012.
Life expectancy may be increasing in some parts of Europe but every country is seeing a rising burden of chronic disease. This predominantly relates to poor lifestyle and overconsumption of ultra-processed food, but this is not an issue of personal responsibility. It’s a result of a systematic failure by policymakers to protect people from the excesses and manipulations of the junk food industry.
The EU needs to completely overhaul the regulatory system that allows industry-sponsored data to have such a huge influence on prescribing practices. Honest doctors can no longer practice honest medicine because we’re having to make decisions based on biased and corrupted information — leading to bad outcomes for our patients.A new era of healthcare is emerging — one in which people increasingly take ownership of their health.
A big starting point would be for the EU to commit to a Health in All Policies framework, taking into account health in policymaking across all subjects. The bloc also needs a paradigm shift in how we support care beyond the doctors' clinic or hospital.Sigrid Ligné is director general of UNESDA, the lobby group representing European beverage associations.
Everybody has the right to qualitative, accessible and affordable care, free choice of care providers and correct and complete information on their illness. Controlling the rise in lifestyle-related diseases will require substantial investment and effective coordination of national policies. We need to build a Europe that not only caters for the needs of today, but that supports cutting edge research to provide the solutions for tomorrow.
Shifting societal values is also of great importance as peer pressure is known to condition behavior.Bart Vandewaetere is head of corporate communications and government relations for Nestlé Europe, Middle East & North Africa.
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