The spread of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have led to rising rates of overweight and obesity. This has meant a greater burden of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Between 2007 and 2009, the OECD and the World Health Organization undertook an economic analysis of strategies for preventing chronic diseases linked to poor diets, sedentary lifestyles and obesity. As the graph shows, the most efficient interventions are found outside the health sector, in food advertising and in school-based programmes. But healthcare systems can make the largest impact on obesity and related chronic conditions by focusing on individuals at high risk. Interventions targeting younger age groups are efficient in the long term, but they will not have significant health effects for many years.
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