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NCD ALLIANCE’s 10 year vision for a healthier Scotland

  • Area of Work: Policy and Research
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 30th October 2024

NCD Alliance Scotland publishes a 10 year vision to address the commercial determinants of health.

NCD Alliance Scotland is a coalition of 24 leading health organisations campaigning for action on health harming products. This coalition has published a report outlining a 10 year vision to address the commercial determinants of health.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and ill health in Scotland, contributing to around 52, 000 deaths in 2023 (83% of all deaths). However, one in five could be prevented by reducing the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and related products, and unhealthy food and drinks.

Taking bold action on health-harming products is key to creating a fairer Scotland where health inequalities lessen, rather than widen, year-on-year. The NCD Alliance believes that one of the most effective ways to do this is tackling the key driver of health-harming product consumption, the Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH).

The CDoH are the actions taken by commercial actors, often across marketing, availability, and price and promotion, that impact health. These actions drive the behaviours that impact harms and often represent a root cause of preventable NCDs. Action in this area is imperative to reducing consumption of health-harming products and protecting public health from commercial interests.

Taking a systemic approach that targets the industries responsible for these health-harming
products acknowledges the overwhelming evidence regarding the CDoH, alleviates this ‘blame’, and works to create healthier environments for Scottish people to live in. This would mean making the healthy choice the easier choice for more Scots, and reducing industry influence in our everyday lives and decision making.

This vision presents short, medium and long-term policy interventions that the NCD Alliance suggests should be considered over the next decades, as well as areas of development and actions that require further research, so that negative health trends are prevented.

Read the full NCD ‘A 10-Year Vision for a Healthier Scotland’ report here.

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