In 2021, NCDs were responsible for over 14,000 deaths in Northern Ireland.
That's more than four in every five deaths.
NCDs place a huge burden on society and our health and social care system.
They also disproportionately affect the most deprived in our communities, contributing to health inequalities.
Many of these deaths and lost years of healthy life could be prevented through public health action to address NCD risk factors, such as, reducing
- the number of people who smoke
- the number of people living with overweight and obesity
- how much alcohol people drink.
Investing in population-wide action to reduce rates of smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, and overweight and obesity is also important for the longer-term resilience of our health service and the wider economy.
Research commissioned by BHF Northern Ireland in 2023, estimates the overall annual cost to society of smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity in Northern Ireland is around £1.9 billion – equivalent to 4.5% of the NI economy.
What we want politicians to do
We work collaboratively with other local health organisations, to use our collective voice to improve population-level health in Northern Ireland and reduce the pressure of NCDs and their risk factors on our health service and the wider economy.
We’re calling on all political parties to commit to taking bold action on
- the ways tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drinks are promoted and marketed
- managing the availability of these health-harming products
- making support and treatment services more widely available, to reduce preventable death and disease.
Watch the video to hear more about our recommendations for action on NCDs to help save and improve lives.
NCD Prevention report
In February 2022 we launched our collaborative NCD Prevention report.
It sets out fourteen recommendations to the Northern Assembly and Executive on the actions they can take to support people to live healthier lives.
You can watch the report launch event on YouTube and download the report below.