Addressing noncommunicable diseases to protect health, independence, and longevity.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, obesity, and diabetes, are leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While NCDs affect people across all ages, prevalence increases with age, making them major drivers of mortality, hospitalization, frailty, and strain on health systems. Multimorbidity, the coexistence of two or more chronic health conditions, also rises with age, further compromising functional ability, quality of life, independence, and longevity.
IFA advocates for integrated, person-centred approaches that prioritize prevention, early intervention, and equitable access to care across the life course, while recognizing the links between NCDs, social determinants of health, and supportive environments. IFA also promotes stronger health and social systems that are better equipped to manage chronic and complex conditions, close gaps in prevention and early detection, and shift the focus from extending life span alone to improving health span, ensuring people can age with health, independence, and dignity.
IFA works with partners across disease areas to support the implementation of high-level policy, such as at the UN and WHO levels, while also ensuring that disease-based agendas align with the imperative to build systems which prioritize healthy ageing.
IFA’s Innovation Challenge on obesity and healthy ageing surfaced solutions across three countries to advance policy and practice to support obesity care for ageing populations.
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