From promising ideas to real impact: WHO’s Quick Buys for combating NCDs
What if targeted actions could transform public health across Europe in just five years? This was the question posed at an event organized by the WHO European Region, where experts gathered to unveil and discuss the groundbreaking paper ‘Quick buys for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases’. The study, conducted by experts in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at WHO/Europe, has for the first time analysed exactly how 25 specific public health measures, so-called quick buys, can have a positive impact on population health across Europe and central Asia in as little as 5 years.
NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In Europe, they account for 90% of all deaths and 85% of disability, including mental ill health. A significant proportion of NCD deaths are premature, before the age of 70 and an estimated 60% of all avoidable NCD deaths are due to preventable causes. These could be addressed by reducing alcohol and tobacco use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.
However, progress on NCD prevention has stalled, as highlighted by the WHO Europe’s European Health Report 2024 and the UN’s 2025 NCD progress report. These publications show a rise in obesity and diabetes and insufficient progress toward meeting global NCD targets by 2030. With just 25 weeks remaining until the 4th UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs, the clock is ticking to accelerate progress toward reducing premature mortality from NCDs. In line with this objective, JACARDI supports countries in reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at the individual and health system levels.
From best buys to quick buys: a roadmap for action
Dr Benedetta Armocida, coordinator of JACARDI, emphasized during the event the transformative potential of these interventions. “Advancing cost-effective policies is a global health priority. This paper makes a critical contribution by introducing structured timeframes, an essential component for strategic planning, implementation and impact assessment”.
WHO has previously identified a set of best buys, proven, cost-effective measures to address NCDs. Now, it can show which of those measures deliver the fastest results. The 25 quick buys, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe [1], include policies targeting key risk factors and disease groups.
The 25 quick buys with proven impact within 5 years
These measures are designed to yield high-impact results in record time, making them indispensable in the current public health landscape. Professor David Stuckler, from the University of Bocconi and co-author of the paper, echoed the urgency: “This paper is a roadmap for action. There are no more excuses not to implement it”.
The quick buys focus on practical measures. For example, pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults, treatment of myocardial infarctions with acetylsalicylic acid, and treating strokes with intravenous thrombolytic therapy have all an impact of less than a year.
| Quick buy policies targeting key risk factors | Quick buy policies targeting disease groups |
| Tobacco Increase excise taxes Implement graphic health warnings Enforce comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising Pharmacological support for quitting tobacco | Cardiovascular diseases Hypertension treatment Acetylsalicylic acid for heart attacks Thrombolytic therapy for strokes |
| Alcohol Increase excise taxes Enact bans on exposure to advertising Restrict availability Provide brief psychosocial intervention | Diabetes Glycaemic control & home glucose monitoring Albuminuria screening & angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor treatment Blood pressure control Statin use for people with diabetes over 40 years old |
| Unhealthy diet Reformulate policies for healthier food and beverages Front-of-pack labelling Behaviour change communication and mass media campaigns | Chronic respiratory diseases Acute COPD treatment with bronchodilators & steroids |
| Physical inactivity Brief counselling intervention in primary health care | Cancers HPV vaccination for 9–14 year old girls HPV DNA screening from the age of 30 years Cervical cancer: early diagnosis programs linked with timely treatment Breast cancer: early diagnosis programs linked with timely treatment |
The role of Joint Actions: JACARDI and JA PreventNCD
As a Joint Action initiative, JACARDI exemplifies how research and policy can align to drive meaningful change.
1. Provide evidence on feasibility, scalability and sustainability
The study on quick buys underscores the need for more natural experiments to assess the real-world impact of interventions. “This is precisely where Joint Actions like JACARDI can play a crucial role. By generating robust implementation research, Joint Actions provide essential evidence on feasibility, scalability and sustainability of interventions. JACARDI serves as a bridge between research and policy, facilitating the translation of evidence into concrete, actionable strategies at national and regional level”, explained Dr Armocida.
2. Creating a platform for knowledge exchange
Stakeholder cooperation and a multi-sectoral approach is another aspect highlighted by the JACARDI coordinator. “By fostering cooperation among Member States and key EU stakeholders and diverse sectors, Joint Actions can create a platform for knowledge exchange, capacity building and coordinated policy responses. This collaborative approach extends beyond national boundaries, contributing to a more integrated and effective NCDs prevention and control framework at European level”, concluded Dr Armocida.
3. Ensuring the effectiveness and equity of monitoring systems
In line with this, Dr Hanna Tolonen, representing JACARDI’s sister project called JA PreventNCD, emphasized the vital importance of monitoring systems in ensuring the effectiveness and equity of public health interventions: “Within JA PreventNCD, we are working on the monitoring aspects to see how countries are currently tracking progress and how we can support them in improving their surveillance activities”.
By leveraging collaborative initiatives like these and integrating evidence-based strategies, the path forward becomes clearer and more achievable. The message from the WHO/Europe event is clear: the time for action is now. This is the way to turn promising ideas into tangible health outcomes for all.
Source:
[1] Gauden Galea, Allison Ekberg, Angela Ciobanu, Marilys Corbex, Jill Farrington, Carina Ferreira-Bores, Daša Kokole, María Lasierra Losada, Maria Neufeld, Ivo Rakovac, Elena Tsoy, Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Julianne Williams, Martin McKee, David Stuckler, Quick buys for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases
The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 2025, 101281, ISSN 2666-7762