World Health Organization (WHO) launched The SuRF Report 1, which captures for the first time chronic disease country risk factor profiles from 170 Member States. This is the first step in a major ongoing initiative to bring noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes, and respiratory conditions, under control.

Until recently, risk factors such as raised blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, excess alcohol consumption, obesity, and the diseases linked to them were associated with developed countries. The World Health Report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life, found that even in the poorest regions of the world, these common risk factors are now causing a rising burden of serious disease and untimely deaths.

"Many developing countries are affected by a double burden of disease, the combination of long-established infectious diseases, with a rapidly growing new epidemic of chronic, noncommunicable diseases," said Dr Ruth Bonita, Director Surveillance, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, WHO. "Member States need good data on their community profile of key risk factors so that they can bring these diseases under control. And given the time lag between exposure and disease, the risk factors of today predict the diseases of tomorrow," she said.

"This data collection is crucial for predicting the future burden of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease in populations, for identifying potential interventions to reduce their rapid growth, and for implementing better health policies, especially in developing countries," said Professor Philip Poole-Wilson, President, World Heart Federation.

The SuRF (Surveillance of Risk Factors) Report contains some key risk factors data for over 170 of WHO's 192 Member States, and includes a CD-Rom containing the current data available by age and sex, for each country. These include tobacco and alcohol use, patterns of physical inactivity, low fruit/vegetable intake, obesity (as measured by Body Mass Index or BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes (measured by blood glucose). "We hope that the publication of key risk factor data will encourage Member States to send regular updates to help us fill in the gaps in this important data collection", said Dr Kate Strong, Data Manager, WHO Global NCD InfoBase.

The WHO Global NCD InfoBase also holds more than 47,000 pieces of data from over 1,400 different sources, including NGOs such as the World Heart Federation and its member organisations. The report highlights the gaps and deficiencies in the data which make comparisons between countries difficult.

The next step, SuRF 2, will harmonise the data to enable comparisons between countries. "Comparable data are needed by researchers, doctors and policy makers to help put into place preventive measures to combat the rise of chronic disease worldwide" said Dr Bonita.

The information contained in the country profiles of the Report comes from the WHO Global NCD InfoBase. The NDC InfoBase is designed as a one-stop resource for researchers, policy makers and the public. The risk factor information included in the NCD InfoBase comes from peer-reviewed journals, reports and unpublished data from Ministries of Health, and personal contact with investigators. The NCD InfoBase is continuously updated and will be available via the internet in late 2003.