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Health Surveillance and Disease Management / Noncommunicable Diseases / CARMEN

CARMEN Network

CARMEN

CARMEN Regional Initiatives | Activities in the Countries |
CARMEN Meetings | Areas of Action | Newsletter |
CARMEN Documents | PAHO/WHO Resolutions on CNCDs |
What is the CARMEN network? | What are the CARMEN strategies? |
Who participates in the CARMEN Network? | CARMEN Managerial Committee
Regional Strategy & Plan of Action | Useful Links

Regional Strategy & Plan of Action

Biennial CARMEN Meeting 2007:

Sharing, Learning, Imagining, Planning and Partnering to Implement the Chronic Disease Regional Strategy within the CARMEN Network

(Nassau, Bahamas,
4–8 November 2007)

4 November:
Meeting of PAHO & CARMEN Members on network organization & management:
Terms of Reference

CARMEN:

Collaborative
Action for
Risk Factor Prevention & Effective
Management of
E
NCDs
 		CARMEN

 

A Network for Integrated Prevention & Control of
Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (CNCDs) in the Americas

Activities in the Countries: Introduction

Map of the Americas

Stop the global epidemic of chronic disease

Promote - Prevent - Treat - Care

CARMEN Documents

PAHO & WHO Resolutions on Chronic Disease

Useful Links

Move for Health

fruits & vegetables

What is the CARMEN Network?

CARMEN is an initiative of the Pan American Health Organization and aims to improve the health status of the populations in the Americas by reducing risk factors associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

This is attained through the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies, social mobilization and community-based interventions, epidemiological surveillance of NCD risk conditions, and preventive health-care services.

physical activity

What are the CARMEN strategies?

The interventions developed within the framework of CARMEN imply the definition of a population space (site, be it provincial or national) and the implementation of actions aimed at preventing risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. This involves implementing strategies such as integrated prevention, promotion of health equity, and demonstrative effect.

  1. Integrated Prevention

    CARMEN advocates for integrated prevention as a central strategic component that simultaneously reduces multiple NCD risk factors at different levels. For practical purposes, an integrated intervention is one that includes the following:

    • Simultaneous prevention and reduction of a set of risk factors common to major NCDs.
    • Simultaneous use of community resources and health services.
    • Combined and balanced efforts for preventive health care and general health promotion, to enable communities to become active participants in decisions concerning their health.
    • Strategic consensus-building among different stakeholders—such as governmental, non-governmental, and private sector organizations—in an effort to increase cooperation and responsiveness to population needs.

  2. Promotion of Health Equity exercise

    Traditionally, chronic diseases have been related to high socioeconomic levels; but currently, there exists sufficient evidence to indicate that this relation has been inverted. Evidence clearly shows that the risk for some NCDs, such as cardiovascular diseases and certain forms of cancers, are higher at low socioeconomic levels, with an apparent increase of this trend in recent years.

    Prevention strategies should consider such underlying influences on health inequalities as education, income distribution, public safety, housing, work environment, employment, social networks, and transportation, among others. It is important that strategies be aimed at reducing overall population risk while simultaneously reducing the gap among different population groups. In many instances, this requires redesigning and evaluating interventions of well-documented efficacy. It also entails identifying and paying special attention to key population groups, such as indigenous peoples, new urban migrants, and women.

  3. Demonstrative Effect

    Interventions are first introduced in a demonstration area, so that acceptability and effectiveness can be measured in a given context. It is feasible to conduct evaluations by monitoring the impact of NCD risk factors, morbidity, and mortality.

    In this context, the demonstrative effect measures whether the risk factors and mortality from corresponding noncommunicable diseases have been modified, and whether the observed changes have occurred within a logical time sequence with regard to the interventions. For practical purposes, it is necessary to

    • have a basal measurement that allows for later comparisons;
    • have a surveillance system of mortality and risk factors; and
    • make systematic collections of information related to the intervention, in order to evaluate its development.

Partnerships with academic centers are highly encouraged in order to strengthen evaluation and participation in international research training activities.

Who participates in the CARMEN Network?

CARMEN Managerial Committee

 

CARMEN