Chronic diseases are a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease and are a major cause of premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic disease accounts for approximately 63% of global deaths annually and low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately burdened with 80% of chronic disease mortality. Between 2010 and 2020 deaths from chronic disease will increase by 15% globally. Premature death and diminished quality of life are preventable conditions if primary health care resources are accessible to communities. Local context and policy strongly influences the adoption of interventions in low- resource settings. While most countries (92%) have developed at least one policy, strategy or plan to address chronic disease, only 79% consider the policy to be operational and only 71% report having dedicated funding for policy implementation concerning chronic disease. The establishment of the Global and Territorial Health Research Network exemplifies the type of collaboration needed to effectively address critical global public health problems such as chronic disease. The Illinois Prevention Research Center (IPRC) seeks to participate as a collaborating center of the Network and to collaborate with global partner institutions, their communities, and other partners to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate health promotion interventions, research, policies and practices at the individual, organizational, environmental, and policy levels to reduce chronic disease burden. The IPRC proposes a global health partnership model that fosters linkages among communities and existing primary health care service resources that are responsive to local contexts such that lessons can be shared and applied regarding how access is enhanced and health status can be improved in populations of need. Specifically, the partnership model will be used to assess the horizontal and vertical scaling of health policy originating at the local level through community participatory approach. Among the many outstanding resources that the IPRC brings to the Network are: a history of successful collaborations with domestic and international partners in the development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention initiatives;an accomplished team of highly productive prevention researchers with established records in numerous areas of research and evaluation relevant to global health;an established campus-wide network of collaborating departments and organizations to facilitate research planning, the development of translational tools, and rapid adoption, implementation, and maintenance of proven programs and strategies for global chronic disease promotion.
Globally and domestically, the burden of chronic disease is increasing. The goal of the proposed project is to participate as a collaborating center of the Global and Territorial Health Research Network and to collaborate with global partner institutions, their communities, and other partners to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate health promotion interventions, research, policies and practices at the individual, organizational, environmental, and policy levels to reduce chronic disease burden. This project proposes a global health partnership model that fosters linkages among communities and existing primary health care service resources that are responsive to local contexts such that lessons can be shared and applied regarding how access is enhanced and health status can be improved in populations of need.
