Addressing physical inactivity and poor nutrition is a global challenge say UICC members in 2016 Progress Report

This year, World Cancer Day will see the sport community come together in the fight against cancer under the Support through sport initiative. The initiative underscores the importance of healthy lifestyles, including physical activity, in cancer prevention, treatment and recovery.  One of the key findings of the recently published World Cancer Declaration Report 2016 is that addressing physical inactivity as well as poor nutrition continues to be a challenge in many countries.  However, the findings also report that several UICC members are tackling this challenge head on.  

Developed with input from UICC members across 113 countries, the World Cancer Declaration Progress Report 2016 provides a snapshot of the key areas of progress and challenges in cancer prevention, treatment and control.  The report underlines that whilst significant progress has been made in tobacco control, a number of key challenges remain in cancer prevention particularly around obesity, low physical activity and poor nutrition. In Sri Lanka, UICC members emphasised that further efforts are needed to address alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets; in Taiwan, further efforts to reduce sugar content will be critical; and in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK, UICC members reported the need for further efforts to address the issue of obesity.

The Progress Report highlights a number of examples of UICC members and partners taking action in this area. The Slovak League Against Cancer has worked with schools and the Public Health Authority to deliver education around good nutrition, reduced alcohol consumption by adults, and the importance of physical activity. At the same time World Cancer Research Fund International has developed the NOURISHING framework to highlight where governments need to take action in promoting healthy diets and reducing overweight and obesity.

To learn more about how your country is addressing this challenge, explore the World Cancer Declaration Progress Report and take a look the World Cancer Day Map of Impact to find out more about how ‘We Can, I Can’ get involved. 

If you have any questions about the World Cancer Declaration Progress Report, or would like to share a case study of the work you have done, please contact the UICC Advocacy and Networks team by emailing advocacy@uicc.org.