Cancer, and not cardiovascular disease, is the leading cause of death in the Republic of Cyprus for the first time in 30 years, according to findings presented at the 12th Pancyprian Public Health Conference.
The conference was organised on Tuesday by the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (CII), under the auspices of Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides, who gave a welcome address.
In a statement, the CII said: “For the first time in 30 years, cancer and not cardiovascular disease is the first and most frequent cause of death in the Republic of Cyprus. It is a serious reason to intensify cancer prevention measures among the Cypriot population, starting from childhood.”
It said: “Greater financial investment in disease prevention is needed, since spending on prevention in Cyprus remains noticeably lower, at about 2%, compared with 4% for the European average.”
The institute said prevention must start in childhood, with a substantial upgrading of the role of schools and nurseries in promoting healthy behaviour. It added that disease prevention and health promotion must be a central priority of the state, and be built into social welfare, education, environment and climate policies as well as health policy.
“The concept of prevention is not limited to the hospital but extends to every municipality and community in Cyprus,” the statement said. “More than 80% of the factors affecting health are linked to factors outside the health system, such as lifestyle, socioeconomic profile, environment, diet, physical activity and smoking.”
The CII also called for population-level observatories for diseases and risk factors, with repeated assessments. These would collect reliable data and produce measurable health indicators, which would in turn inform the design of measures to reduce health risks in the population.
It said socioeconomic inequalities were reflected in the health of the population, making it necessary to adopt policies that ensure equal access to prevention measures and health services. Systematic cross-sector cooperation between ministries, local government, schools, the academic community, research bodies and civil society was a necessary condition for prevention, it said, going beyond simply taking part in joint committees.
