The sociopolitical landscape of NCDs, Part I

The sociopolitical landscape of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is presented in two chapters in this book. This is the first chapter which introduces the topic. It shows how the recent demographic shifts have changed the global landscape, creating a fertile ground for the rise in the NCD burden. It describes how changes in disease patterns in low- and middle-income countries and factors such as the ageing population, urbanization, globalization, and cultural and political changes have contributed to the problem. Importantly, this chapter sets the scene to introduce NCDs as a development problem, which requires a global political response as demonstrated with the sustainable development goals (SDGs; SDGs and NCDs are discussed in later chapters). This chapter also considers the ways that competing voices and vested interests impact on NCD prevention activities.