Public health in low- and middle-income countries needs additional input from biological sciences

What is it about?

Although infectious diseases are still of public health concern one of the most pressing problems now is overnutrition and obesity. This goes along with a steady increase of chronic diseases, in particular disease of the heart, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Because of smoking lung diseases are another main cause for sickness and dying prematurely. Suggestions to refrain from smoking, drink alcohol only moderately, increase physical activities and refrain from eating too much food, especially with a high sugar content and don’t consume sweet soft drinks, had no effect so far on the ever ongoing epidemy of obesity. It is argued that genetic factors contribute to the occurrence of chronic diseases and public health authorities as well as people in general need to know better about the complexity of the function of their body, so that they voluntarily increase their motivation to cultivate a behavior which keeps them healthy, which will improve their quality of life up into old age.

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Why is it important?

The inclusion of results and achievements of biological sciences into the arsenal of public health actions against chronic diseases should enhance the effectiveness to work against major chronic diseases which are already starting to overburden the health delivery system of low- and middle-income countries.

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