The WHO has estimated that by the year 2020, non-communicable diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, obesity and CVD, will cause about two-thirds of the global disease burden, up from 40% at present. contributed to the global epidemic of obesity by replacing traditional diets with fat- and calorie-rich foods The spread of universal brand names of popular beverages and fast foods has. There is a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and most causes of injuries and violence, although minimal amounts of alcohol are sufficient to reduce the risk of CVD ( Beaglehole & Yach, 2003). However, unlike tobacco use, which substantially increases the risk of mortality from an impressive array of diseases ( Doll, 1998), the impact of alcohol consumption on health is much more complex. The high incidence of smoking among children and adolescents, and the disturbingly low age of initiation, raise additional concerns ( Global Youth Tobacco Survey Collaborative Group, 2002).Īlcohol consumption is another area in which the globalization of an industry has led to more health risks ( Jernigan, 1997). These countries are at particular risk, as industrialized countries increasingly ban cigarette advertisements and tobacco companies intensively target people in poorer nations as potential customers. Up to 70% of these deaths, caused by lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), lung diseases, diabetes and many other tobacco-related ailments, will occur in developing countries ( Murray & Lopez, 1997). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the death toll from tobacco abuse alone will reach 10 million a year over the next two decades. World merchandise exports by levels of economic development, 1980–2002 Important examples of such risks include tobacco, alcohol, global epidemics of non-communicable diseases and trade in health services. Although increasing trade is certainly good for economies, it also leads to a globalization of health risks.
Figure 1 illustrates the significant increases in world trade since 1980. Instead, we focus on those risks to health and health care that are related to central aspects of the globalization process, namely trade, travel and exchange of information.Ī major factor for the liberalization of international trade has been the multilateral trade negotiations during the past 50 years, which culminated in the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ( Bettcher et al, 2000). Given the enormous complexity and breadth of the issues, our article cannot hope to cover the entire range of topics that link globalization to health. Its consequences can be either direct, at the level of whole populations, individuals and healthcare delivery systems, or indirect, through the economy and other factors, such as education, sanitation and water supply ( Woodward et al, 2001). The links between globalization and health are complex and globalization is a multifaceted phenomenon that can affect health in myriad ways. How-ever defined, this term has many dimensions, including economic, technological, political, social, scientific and cultural aspects. One major problem is the increasing internationalization of health risks. Often narrowly defined as the increasing integration of the world's economies, globalization is in reality a powerful development that presents new challenges at the beginning of this millennium. Notwith-standing these protests, whether one sees globalization as a tool to overcome poverty, hunger and disease in the world or whether one feels threatened by its consequences, one thing is certain: globalization is here to stay. While the heads of the eight leading industrialized nations meet at their annual G8 summit to discuss the global state of affairs, a wide variety of organizations and protesters meet in parallel to decry what they see as the negative effects of globalization.
Every year, the same ritual takes place at changing locations in the Western world.
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