Prevention vs. Treatment

Defining the Focus of NCD Interventions: Prevention vs. Treatment

Figure 4.1 Heart disease death rates among men aged 30 years and older in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom,and United states,1950-2002

Source: WHO 2005.

An early and important policy question that concerns government decision makers, universally, is how much focus should be on prevention of disease and how much on treating those already affected while tackling NCDs.

In parallel, whether governments should focus more on populations or more on individuals requires careful consideration of the burden, capacity, and many other country-level factors. Developed-country experiences can lend important insight into making this decision. Major declines in CVD mortality have been seen in several developed countries from about the early 1970s (Figure 4.1). These findings received considerable attention and much effort was made to understand the underlying reasons.