On 11 October 2023, CAP-2030 launched its policy report “Selling a Sick Future: How to counter harmful commercial marketing towards children and young people across risk factors for noncommunicable diasease.”
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability globally, and many are preventable. Globally, NCDs cause about half of mortality in young people between 5–14 years, and many of the behaviours that contribute to NCDs later in life are set in childhood and adolescence.
With over 40% of the world’s population under age 25, reducing young people’s exposure to NCD risk factors is vital. This includes implementing policies that can counter the marketing strategies of industry players who flood the market and encroach on community environments with unhealthy products, encouraging their consumption among young people.
This session highlighted how policies can counter and adapt to marketing strategies by health-harming industries that target children and young people, informed by young people themselves. We also called for a commitment by governments to regulate harmful commercial marketing practices.
Watch the session here: Global Forum For Adolescents – Day 1 – Channel 2 (youtube.com)
