Pepsi funds chronic disease research

Research programme

The Oxford Health Alliance, based in Oxford, UK, has been given $5.2 million by the soft drinks company PepsiCo for a three-year public health research programme to study the effectiveness of community interventions in reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases.

The programme, Community Interventions for Health, will seek to find out what can be done at a community level to prevent the further spread of obesity, tobacco use and related illnesses.

The research to be conducted in China, England, India and Mexico will directly impact more than two million people across the four sites, and is expected to affect more than 16 million people in surrounding areas through regional policy changes.

The programme will target schools, workplaces, health and community centres, employing economic and policy changes, including increased access to nutritional information and healthy food choices as well as physical activity, to improve health and reduce chronic disease.

Stig Pramming, Executive Director of the Oxford Health Alliance, says, “Despite the fact that chronic diseases are by far the world’s biggest killers, they are largely overlooked by governments and donor institutions alike, which is why the programme is long overdue.”

“Heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and many cancers are almost entirely preventable through lifestyle changes alone, yet they are currently pushing healthcare systems to the brink, not to mention the impact they’re having on national economies.”

“In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that in the next 10 years, China, India and the UK will lose $558 billion, $237 billion and $33 billion, respectively, in foregone national income due to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.”

 A number of policy changes will be implemented in each of the communities in the study including, smoke-free hospitals with healthy food options; incentives and training for providers to screen for and prevent chronic disease; affordable healthy food and drink in cafeteria and vending machines; no adverts in schools; 30 minutes of physical activity a day, three times per week for students; affordable and accessible fruit; healthy food choices at local establishments and at events; safe routes for walking and bicycling; health risk assessments and smoking-cessation programmes at work; and incentives for employees to participate in on-site and off-site physical activity.