Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.    – World Health Organization

NCDs have proven to be a significant concern to population health, thus, reversing this trend is of prime importance. This edition highlights conditions which hinder availability and accessibility to healthy foods, behavioral patterns, commercialism, and socioeconomic disparities; all of which contribute to the high rate of noncommunicable diseases and to lack of patient adherence to medical advice due to constraining factors. In taking a systems approach, the articles in this edition can bring about more effective policy change that may bring a downturn to these chronic conditions.

~ Catherine Tsasis, Associate Editor, HPHR