Healthy ageing is vital for development 9 April 2002 -
PREVENTION OF NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES THROUGHOUT THE LIFE
COURSE IS KEY SAYS NEW WHO POLICY ROADMAP In a rapidly greying
world, healthy ageing is vital for countries' economic
development, declared the World Health Organization (WHO) today
at the Second World Assembly on Ageing which takes place this
week in Madrid. On this occasion, WHO unveiled a new roadmap to
assist countries in designing policies to enhance health for
ageing people. According to this policy framework, the
prevention of noncommunicable diseases, starting already in
early childhood, is the mainstay of healthy ageing. "A healthy
population is a prerequisite for economic growth," said Dr Gro
Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO. "The predicted
explosion of noncommunicable diseases — like heart disease,
cancer or depression — in the ever-increasing number of older
persons globally will result in enormous human and social costs
unless preventive action is taken now. A disproportiona