PLoS medicine
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Identifying and tackling the factors that undermine regulation of unhealthy commodities is an essential component of effective noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention. Unhealthy commodity producers may use rules in US and EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to challenge policies targeting their products. We aimed to test whether there was a statistical relationship between US and EU FTA participation and reduced implementation of WHO-recommended policies. ⋯ US and EU FTA participation may reduce the probability of implementing WHO-recommended tobacco and child food marketing policies by between a quarter and a half-depending on the FTA and outcome in question. Governments negotiating or participating in US/EU FTAs may need to establish robust health protections and mitigation strategies to achieve their NCD mortality reduction targets.
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Comment
Healthy lifestyle choices and microvascular complications: New insights into diabetes management.
Yogini Chudasama and Kamlesh Khunti discuss new evidence, published in PLOS Medicine, highlighting the importance of healthy lifestyle behaviours in diabetes management.
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In a Policy Forum piece, Dr. Nicola Low and colleagues define the research agenda for Mpox virus and transmission through sexual contact.
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The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased in both young and old people. We examined age-specific associations and population attributable fractions (PAFs) of risk factors for all-cause and cause-specific mortality in people with type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Major comorbidities and modifiable risk factors were associated with a greater relative risk for mortality in younger than older people with type 2 diabetes and their associations with population mortality burden varied substantially by age. These findings highlight the importance of early control of blood pressure, which could reduce premature mortality in young people with type 2 diabetes and prevent the onset of later CKD and related mortality at older ages.
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Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the primary source of dietary added sugars in children, with high consumption commonly observed in more deprived areas where obesity prevalence is also highest. Associations between SSB consumption and obesity in children have been widely reported. In March 2016, a two-tier soft drinks industry levy (SDIL) on drinks manufacturers to encourage reformulation of SSBs in the United Kingdom was announced and then implemented in April 2018. We examined trajectories in the prevalence of obesity at ages 4 to 5 years and 10 to 11 years, 19 months after the implementation of SDIL, overall and by sex and deprivation. ⋯ Our results suggest that the SDIL was associated with decreased prevalence of obesity in year 6 girls, with the greatest differences in those living in the most deprived areas. Additional strategies beyond SSB taxation will be needed to reduce obesity prevalence overall, and particularly in older boys and younger children.