IOM report: Promoting cardiovascular health in developing countries

The Institute of Medicine released a report today that outlines strategies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. The report, titled "Promoting cardiovascular health in the developing world: A critical challenge to achieve global health", provides a comprehensive, global approach towards tackling a problem that claims 30% of all deaths in developing countries.

"We know that cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death and disability in the developing world, but we are not doing enough to address it," said committee chair Valentin Fuster, director, Mount Sinai Heart, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City. "If this challenge is not met, it will be impossible to achieve better health worldwide," he added. "Leaders in the field of cardiovascular health need to think and act more globally, and it is also incumbent upon the global health and development community to do more to confront cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. This is a problem that will require strong leadership at the highest levels."

The report provides a top-down approach towards reducing chronic disease in developing countries; one that requires commitment from all of the key players, policy and decision making at all levels of government, and sharing of resources and information. To that end, the report produced 12 recommendations that address essential needs in the areas of knowledge, action, and collaboration. Research, monitoring, policy, implementation, development, and advocacy are all key areas the recommendations cover; however the underlying component to all of these is collaboration. Any successful approach towards reducing the burden of chronic diseases in developing countries will require committed relationships with all of the key players involved.

You can download a PDF (4.08 MB) of the report for free: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Promoting-Cardiovascular-Health-in-the-Developing-World-A-Critical-Challenge-to-Achieve-Global-Health.aspx

Here are links to ProCor's Summary/Comments of the IOM report:

Part 1: Knowledge
http://www.procor.org/globaldialogue/globaldialogue_show.htm?doc_id=1198349

Part 2: Action
http://www.procor.org/globaldialogue/globaldialogue_show.htm?doc_id=1200392

Part 3: Community
http://www.procor.org/globaldialogue/globaldialogue_show.htm?doc_id=1206227

Date Posted: 22 March 2010