🗨️"NCDs are often framed as a result of individual choices – but these choices are heavily influenced by the environments in which we live, work, and play," said our Policy & Advocacy Officer, Rachael Stanton, at the World Health Organization's European Healthy Cities Conference, taking place this week in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. She mentioned that in many cities, unhealthy products are more available, affordable, and aggressively marketed than healthier alternatives. #AirPollution is another major and widespread risk factor in urban environments. 🗨️ "We have created environments in which 99% of the world's population breathes unsafe levels of air pollution, with vulnerable communities disproportionately affected – increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other NCDs." Discussing solutions and ways to #ActOnNCDs in cities, Rachael emphasised the need to integrate health into all policies by embedding health considerations into decision-making across sectors such as transport, urban planning, and advertising. Cities have a crucial role to play in protecting their populations from these risk factors and reducing the burden of NCDs. Our recently published policy report on best practices for tackling air pollution, developed in response to commitments made in last year's Political Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health, highlights how cities around the world are already taking action. 💡From low-emission zones in London and sustainable urban mobility initiatives in Bogotá to air quality standards in schools in Boston, cities are implementing effective policies that deliver benefits for both health and the climate. 🔗 You can find the report here: ncdalliance.org/resources/a-…