Prevent NCD

05/02/2026

Strengthening Breastfeeding Support Across Europe: Prevention Starts at the Beginning of Life


JA PreventNCD is pleased to share important progress from the team working on Healthy Living Environment (WP6), which focuses on implementing and evaluating integrated interventions that address the key determinants of cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across different settings and throughout the life course.


Breastfeeding is a powerful and proven prevention strategy. It reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and type II diabetes in women, while supporting healthy growth and development in children. Importantly, it also helps reduce social inequalities.


One approach making a real difference is the Baby-Friendly Community Health Service (BFCHS). Originally developed in Norway as an extension of the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly framework into primary and community health care, BFCHS was recognised in 2022 as an EU Best Practice for NCD prevention. It demonstrated clear effectiveness in increasing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

Through JA PreventNCD, this Best Practice is now being transferred and adapted across multiple European countries. From the Arctic regions of Norway to Castelló in Spain, communities are adapting a shared model to diverse social, geographic, and health system contexts.


🔗 Learn more about BFCHS within JA PreventNCD:
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/baby-friendly-community-health-services-expanding-all-over-europe/

Discover how the BFCHS best practice is scaling from Norway to Lithuania, Ukraine, Greece, Slovenia, Italy and Spain, improving community-based breastfeeding support and reducing inequalities.

04/02/2026

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 – 5𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

14 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿

The 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 (𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗖5) outlines 14 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 that empower people to reduce their cancer risk. Designed for the general population across the EU, the guidance is practical, accessible and grounded in the latest scientific evidence.

For the first time, ECAC5 also speaks directly to 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, with 14 complementary population-level recommendations. These call for policies that address social, environmental, economic and structural barriers to healthier behaviours and access to prevention.


Prevention works best when individuals are supported by systems that make healthy choices easier.


🔗 Learn more about IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization's European Code Against Cancer: https://cancer-code-europe.iarc.who.int/

Discover the European Code Against Cancer with 14 evidence-based recommendations to help you prevent cancer and lower your cancer risk.

04/02/2026

📢 Don’t miss the webinar, happening next week!

hashtag is pleased to invite you to the webinar “The first 1000-day window of opportunity: breastfeeding for a healthy start and a healthy future”, taking place on 13 February, 12:00–13:00 CET.

Organized by the JA PreventNCD Team on Baby-Friendly Community & Health Services, this session will focus on the crucial role of the first 1000 days of life and breastfeeding as a key strategy for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and for promoting lifelong health for both mothers and children.

Key speakers:
🟣Nigel Rollins, Queen's University Belfast: The evidence of breastfeeding for the prevention of NCDs in both mother and child
🟣Julianne Williams, WHO Regional Office for Europe: Strategies to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in Europe
🟣Patti Rundall, Baby Milk Action/IBFAN UK: Marketing and regulation of breast milk substitutes (BMS) in Europe

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here for registration and agenda ⤵️
https://lnkd.in/etJk2MPx

04/02/2026

4𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆

Led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) World Cancer Day was established 26 years ago to raise public awareness about cancer prevention, research and treatment.

The 2025–2027 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲, “𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲”, puts people at the centre of care, recognising that every cancer journey is different.

In 2025, the campaign amplified personal cancer stories from people living with cancer and those affected by it, such as families, caregivers and health professionals. Highlighting the power of people-centred care.

Building on this, in 2026 the campaign aims to turn lived experiences into advocacy that drives systemic change. It calls on policymakers and health systems to adopt people-centred cancer strategies that prioritise holistic, compassionate care.

🔗 Learn more and read the 2025 impact report: https://www.worldcancerday.org/

An international awareness day led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise worldwide attention and inspire action for a cancer-free future.

26/01/2026

📢 World Health Organization 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀


Children spend a large part of their day in school, making it a powerful setting to shape lifelong dietary habits and reduce health and nutrition inequities. Yet, in many countries, foods available in and around schools are very unhealthy and often misaligned with national dietary guidance.


To address this challenge, the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety is launching a new guideline on policies and interventions to create a healthy school food environment. This guideline provides comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations to support healthier diets in schools and help reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases.


𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁:
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏰ 13:00-14:00 CET
📍 Online

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2026/01/27/default-calendar/launch-of-the-who-guideline-on-policies-and-interventions-to-create-healthy-school-food-environments

This WHO guideline offers Member States evidence-based recommendations and implementation considerations on policies and interventions to improve school food environments.

26/01/2026

𝐉𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐍𝐂𝐃 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞.

On 𝟐𝟐 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, we held the first meeting of our new 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, an important milestone as the project moves further into implementation and begins delivering a growing number of practical results and tools.

The Stakeholder Group brings together a 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝, helping to ensure that JA PreventNCD outputs are:

✅ Relevant for policy and practice
✅ Informed by external expertise and feedback
✅ Better connected to decision-makers, practitioners and networks across Europe
✅ Widely disseminated where they can make the biggest difference

A key strength of the group is its 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, allowing us to connect the right expertise to the right outputs at the right time.

As our deliverables increase in the coming years, this kind of engagement will be essential to help turn results into action and support 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐂𝐃𝐬 across Europe.

👉 Read more about the meeting and what comes next: https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/ja-preventncd-kicks-off-its-stakeholder-group-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-boost-impact/

JA PreventNCD held its first Stakeholder Group meeting on 22 January 2026 to strengthen collaboration, improve outputs, and expand impact.

23/01/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

On 𝟏𝟗 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, the JA PreventNCD team working on Baby-Friendly Communities and Health Services (Task 6.5) hosted an international online workshop on “𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.”

The workshop brought together perspectives from 𝐖𝐇𝐎/𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 and 𝐏𝐀𝐇𝐎, operational experiences from multiple countries and contexts, and practical tools to support preparedness and response. Discussions highlighted that protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding and appropriate infant and young child feeding can be life-saving in emergencies, while also shaping long-term health across the life course.

📌 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 (𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞):
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/events/infant-feeding-in-emergencies-strengthening-baby-friendly-communities-for-resilience-and-preparedness-international-workshop-summary-and-recording/

🎥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞):
https://www.preventncd.eu/resources/webinars/infant-feeding-in-emergencies-strengthening-baby-friendly-communities-for-preparedness-resilience/

22/01/2026

📢 Save the date! is pleased to invite you to the webinar: The first 1000-day window of opportunity: breastfeeding for a healthy start and a healthy future, taking place on 13 February, 12:00 - 13:00 CET.

The webinar, organized by the JA PreventNCD Team on “Baby-Friendly Community & Health Services”, will focus on the crucial role of the first 1000 days of life and breastfeeding as a key strategy for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and for promoting lifelong health for both mothers and children.

The session will feature expert presentations highlighting the evidence on breastfeeding for the prevention of NCDs, current strategies to protect, promote and support breastfeeding across Europe, as well as policy, marketing and regulatory aspects related to breast milk substitutes (BMS) in the European context.

We look forward to seeing you!

🔗 Registration: https://lnkd.in/esXZ4-Wi

21/01/2026

Social Inequalities Team is delighted to announce the launch of a webinar series on statistical thinking open to all partners of JA PreventNCD.

The initiative has been developed in collaboration with professors from the Department of Statistics at Sapienza University of Rome, who will share their expertise.

The course is a follow-up series on the webinar course on Survey and Questionnaire design which was launched October 2025. The recording of the first webinar course The Power of Statistical Thinking - Understanding News and Everyday Facts is now available on our webpage.

🎥 Recording is available here: https://www.preventncd.eu/events/webinar/webinar-course-statistical-thinking/

Stay tuned for upcoming courses!
Istituto Superiore di Sanità Sapienza Università di Roma

20/01/2026

🌍 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵



Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. The encouraging news is that it is largely preventable and can be cured when detected early and treated promptly.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination

• Regular cervical screening

• Early diagnosis and timely treatment

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 focuses on strengthening cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, while also working to reduce health inequalities across EU Member States. One of the Plan’s key targets is achieving 90% HPV vaccination coverage among girls, alongside significantly increasing vaccination rates among boys, in line with the World Health Organization’s 2030 targets for HPV vaccination.

🤝 JA PreventNCD aligns closely with these objectives by enhancing cancer monitoring systems and assessing effective and efficient prevention strategies across Europe.

Together, through prevention, vaccination, and early detection, we can move closer to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat.

🔗 𝗧𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲:

• WHO Fact Sheet on Cervical Cancer: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer

• Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/public-health/european-health-union/cancer-plan-europe_en

WHO fact sheet on cervical cancer, including key facts, causes, prevention and WHO response.

07/01/2026

WHO/Europe and JA PreventNCD are co-hosting a scientific webinar titled “Shaping Healthier Food Environments through Front-of-Pack Labelling”.

Date: 10 February 2026
Time: 10:00–11:30 CET

Front-of-pack labelling is a key policy tool to support healthier food choices and contribute to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This webinar will bring together leading international experts to examine the latest scientific evidence, policy approaches, and practical experiences related to front-of-pack labelling.

Webinar programme highlights:
• Keynote presentations by global and European experts
• Panel discussion featuring country-level experiences
• Live A&A session with speakers and panelists

Registration:
Interested participants are invited to register via the following link:
https://lnkd.in/gbPhfcRV

19/12/2025

⏰ 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝟐𝟑 𝐃𝐞𝐜 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 (𝟐𝟑:𝟓𝟗 𝐂𝐄𝐓).

JA PreventNCD is recruiting for the 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 (𝐘𝐀𝐆) 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

Silvia Grothe i Riera, current YAG member, puts it simply:

“𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘈𝘎 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴.”

If you are 𝟏𝟖–𝟑𝟓, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞, and care about prevention (cancer and other NCDs), this is your moment.

👉 Apply here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__cX8-elUMzMwSUNIOEdHVlZJTk5TWlVHUDdQRzgwUi4u&route=shorturl&fbclid=IwY2xjawOyHedleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEef7qrvv-nwa6wHLVG8rSUYqwRfn-VmWL3SPXRnC6Nl2S4UbxnhOjOIcgQe-c_aem_GHVpZaVr7-LU45Q_HwouIw

🔁 Please share or tag someone who should apply.