Current developments on
health promotion and public
health in Europe
Walter Baer
European Commission
Health and Consumers DG
5. Steirische Gesundheitskonferenz
Graz – 22 June 2010
Overview
1. Role of Community on health
2. Current and future health
challenges
3. EU Health strategy and Health
Programme
4. Activities in the field of health
determinants
5. Children and Young People
Evolution of
health action
specific public health role created in
1992 by the Maastricht Treaty – and still
developing
but health has always been an
important part of Community policies
The public health article
Support to Member
States through
networks and projects
Policy actions
Legislation to set
European standards
Blood pressure
Cholesterol
Tobacco
High Body Mass Index
Fruit and vegetable intake
Physical inactivity
Alcohol
Urban air pollution
Lead exposure
Occupational carcinogens
Illicit drugs
Unsafe sex
Occupational particulates
Occupational risk factors for injury
Future Challenges - Current Strategies
Health investments in the Structural Funds
Health information and Health Portal
Expanding EU:
growing health gaps
Ageing
Population
Citizens’ Agenda
European Centre of
Disease prevention
Safety, Pandemic andOrgane Donation
Interactions with WHO
Globalisation
Bioterrorism Threats
Lifestyle Related
Diseases
White paper on Nutrition
Communication on Alcohol
Tobacco control strategy
New Technology
and Innovation
Migration &
Cross Border
Healthcare
Pharmaceutical Forum
Health services Initiative
Health determinants
Unhealthy
diet
CVD
Cancer
Type 2
diabetes
Physical
inactivity
Tobacco
use
COPD
Mental
health
Figure: Causal factors of major non-communicable disease
Alcohol
Musculoskeletal
disorders
Oral
health
Preventable deaths and illness
35,000 young people aged 15-24
years die each year (EU15)
Accidents commonest cause of
death (65%), followed by suicide
15 to 20% mental disorder
Overweight and Obesity in the EU:
Scene setter
 Obesity levels in the EU have risen by between 10-40% over
the past decade.
 Range of obesity prevalence in EU countries is from 10% to
27% in men and up to 38% in women.
 Number of EU children affected by overweight (BMI >25) is
estimated to be rising by more than 1,300,000 a year, of these
300,000 are becoming obese
 Across the entire EU25, overweight affects almost 1 in 4
children
 By 2010 estimated that 26 million children will be overweight
and 6.4 million will be obese
 Obesity accounts for up to 7% of health care costs.
 In the EU, 9.6% of disability-adjusted life-years are lost due to
poor nutrition, obesity and physical inactivity (compared with
9% due to smoking).
White Paper on a Strategy on Nutrition,
Overweight and Obesity related health issues
Better informing the consumer, such as through better
labelling on food products
Making the healthy option available, such as making
fruits and vegetables available to schools
Encouraging physical activity, such as by encouraging
community initiatives or by raising awareness of Community
funds to develop the physical environment to encourage
walking/cycling and other forms of activity
Focus on priority groups and settings, such as children
and schools
Developing the evidence base to support policy
making, such as by carrying out research into behaviour
change in relation to food and nutrition
Developing monitoring systems, such as by working with
the WHO to identify effective local actions
Tobacco
Weekly smoking rates: 2% among 11- year-olds,
8% among 13-year-olds, and 24% among 15year-olds
prevalence of weekly smoking among 15-year-old
girls higher than that of boys in 18 mainly western
European countries, in the others, girls are
catching up
Eurobarometer among 15 – 24 year olds: 57%
have never smoked, 8% used to smoke but have
stopped and 35% are smokers.
Starting age: 10-12 years, boys ealier than girls
Tobacco policy
Legislation
Advertising, Warning messages and pictures
Products
Link to international work (FCTC)
Prevention work: Youth campaigns
2002-2004: ‘Feel free to say no’
2005-2008: ‘HELP’ - 72 Mio €
2009-2011: ‘HELP 2.0’ – 16,84 Mio € for
2009
Network tobacco control initiatives
Exchange Best Practice and develop
European projects
Help - anti-tobacco campaign
Focus on:
Prevention
Cessation
Passive smoking
Target:
Young people aged 15 to 24
Young adults aged 25 to 35
Motto: providing help and support by delivering information on
health and social problems related to tobacco consumption,
tips and advice not to start, help to quit, on passive smoking
EU actions on tobacco control and national actions
Conducted in partnership with communication experts, tobacco control
professionals and Youth representatives.
Help - anti-tobacco campaign
Integrated communication campaign in 27 Member States with a
comprehensive action scheme including:
Media: TV spots on 96 national and Pan-European channels
Internet: e-mail coaching, viral marketing (Nicomarket), banners and video
placements
Help website available in 22 languages
A series of national events (CO measurements, Youth Manifesto promotion)
After 3 years of the campaign (since March 2005):
172 million Europeans remember seeing the TV campaign
3.9 billion contacts via the media campaign (TV + Online)
60% of young Europeans remember having seen at least one TV film
77% of all Europeans and 83% of the under 25 target like the adverts.
5.2 million visits to the Help website
Over 640 events run Europe-wide, and 210,000 CO tests performed
Over 104,000 subscribers to the e-mail coaching programme
Over 5,000 articles and reports in the media to date
Mental Health – dimensions
Health: at least 11% of population experience
mental disorders. Each year, there are about
90,000 deaths from mental and behavioural
disorders and 60,000 from suicide
Economic: a loss of 3-4% of the EU‘s GDP.
Main factor: productivity losses through
absenteeism and reduced work performance.
Social: Disadvantaged groups face a greater
risk of mental illness. People with mental
disorders may face stigma, discrimination and
social exclusion.
Mental health
2005: Helsinki conference – WHO/EU
2005: Green paper consultation – open and
structured
2008: European Pact and conference
Suicide and depression
Young people and education
Workplace
The elderly
2008:Eurobarometer on Mental Health of
Children and Young People
2009: Thematic Conference on the promotion
of mental health and well-being of Children and
Young People
Recommendations for Educational
Settings and Learning
Including social and emotional learning
programmes and life skill education at preschool and school settings
Development of national action plans on
mental health promotion in educational settings
High quality and easily available psycho-social
support for pupils, students and teachers
Assure cooperation between educational
settings, parents and communities
Non-formal and informal learning
opportunities developed within, around and
outside educational settings
Alcohol
25% of men and 10% of women consume too
much alcohol
30% of 15 year old girls 37% of 15 year old boys
report being drunk twice or more
7,5% of all ill health and early death in EU
195,000 premature deaths per year
in EU
60 acute or chronic diseases caused by excessive
alcohol consumption
up to 25% of male premature deaths and up to
10% of female premature deaths caused by
excessive alcohol consumption
Alcohol
2006: Communication on alcohol-related
harm
Young people and children
Road traffic and drink driving
Adults and the workplace
Information and awareness raising
Evidence base
Work across policies and with Member States
2007: Alcohol and Health Forum
2009: 1ST Progress Report on the
implementation of the EU alcohol strategy
The way forward
Comprehensive approaches – looking at
young personalities
Life skills? Resilience? ‘Kinder stark
machen’?
Partnerships for health across society
and locally
Work with young people and their
organisations
Schools are key
Projects from the Public Health
Programme – some examples
Shape Up – towards a European network for obesity
prevention in children
CSAP – Child Safety Action Programme
ENHPS I & II – European Network of Health Promoting
schools
EPODE (Together Let's Prevent Childhood Obesity)
In Form – Campaign against obesity in children and
adolescents
Smokefree Class Competition
Ten D by Night (Dark, Dance, Disco, Dose, Drugs, Drive,
Danger, Damage, Disability, Death)
SWEET Project – Better control in paediatric and
adolescent diabetes in the EU
The Youth health initiative: aims
Involve young people more closely in EU health
policies
Strengthen youth partnership in the decision
making process
Involve other sectors across EU policy areas
and at national level on the implementation of
prevention programs targeted at young people
Support Member States' activities on the health
of young people
The Youth health initiative
A roadmap on Youth health:
4 priorities on
Empowerment and participation
Inequalities and vulnerability
Communicating health
Mainstreaming these principles across EU
health policy
The Youth health initiative
Empowerment and participation (e.g.):
Development of a strategy to improve young people's
sexual health
Involvement of young people and a youth event during the
5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
Organisation of a Youth-health specific event in Torino,
European Youth Capital 2010
Communicating health (e.g.)
Establishment of a Clearing House of activities and projects
on alcohol and youth health
Workshop on tobacco control and information with the
medical student working group established within the HELP
2.0 campaign
The Youth health initiative
Inequalities and vulnerability (e.g.):
The European Conference on Injury prevention and safety
promotion
Workshop, in cooperation with the European Youth Forum,
on how to reach and engage unorganised Youth and to raise
their awareness on health issues
Workshop on drugs and young people
Tools (e.g.)
Further development of actions on social networks (already
in Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=627286
39670)
Development of an electronic network on youth health
Further development of the Youth Health website
http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/youth/index_en.htm
Further Information
Public Health Portal
http://health.europa.eu
SANCO Web Site
http://ec.europa.eu/health
Thank you very much for your attention!