ABSTRACT
When the WHO Global NCD Action Plan was first published in 2013, it included a menu of policy options and cost-effective and recommended interventions for cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, and for reducing tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. In 2017, these were updated to form a suite of WHO ‘best buys’, ‘other effective interventions’ and ‘other recommended interventions’. Each of these groups of interventions is defined in this chapter and the 88 interventions are listed. While cost-effectiveness analysis is an important tool, it has limitations and should not be used as the sole basis for decision-making. When selecting interventions, consideration should also be given to other criteria through a transparent and context-specific decision-making process. Other criteria include effectiveness, affordability, implementation capacity and feasibility. The importance of context is also described as is the importance of supporting enabling actions and how to use the best buys and other recommended interventions. The chapter concludes by indicating that an updated set of WHO best buys and recommended interventions is currently under development.
