The University of Southampton is playing host to the next prestigious Global Public Health Conference

In partnership with the UK Health Literacy Group, this conference is the first of a suite of international events led by WUN and focused upon addressing socio-economic disparities in the prevention, control, treatment and outcomes of Non-Communicable Diseases across the globe.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century. They represent a huge economic burden, particularly in developing and rapidly industrialised nations, and are likely to exacerbate existing inequalities in health and wellbeing.

The conference, hosted by the University of Southampton in May, is aimed at addressing some of these challenges along with key recommendations made in a recent United Nations report on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Disease to which WUN contributed.

On Sunday 20th May, the University of Southampton will lead a project workshop on ‘Lessons for Life' which aims to develop and evaluate health education for NCD prevention in teenagers and their future off-spring across the world. The project also aims to create a step change in innovative approaches to developing adolescents' knowledge, attitudes and behaviour with regard to their own health and that of their future children.

The workshop will pay particular attention to designing professional development training for teachers, directly aimed at supporting the students' health training programme, and the design of realistic methods of evaluating the impact that the learning activities have on participating students.

The WUN Conference team comprises many academics from across the University including Professor Paul Roderick; Professor Mark Hanson; Professor Don Nutbeam, the University's Vice Chancellor and expert in Public Health; and Dr Jo Adams, Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy at the University of Southampton.

Professor Don Nutbeam comments, "Countries across the world are facing a huge and rapidly increasing problem of non-communicable diseases. This is a key challenge for governments in the 21st Century, and I am delighted that the Worldwide Universities Network are working with the UN and others to begin to address the complex issues involved."

The conference is arranged for the 19th - 23rd May 2012 from 18:00 through to the following day at 13.30 each day UTC / GMT time (From 19:00 UK time), and will be held at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton.

The deadline for registration is Friday, 30th March 2012.

For further information see http://www.wun.ac.uk/events/wun-global-public-health-conference.

For event information contact Elisa Lawson E.Lawson@southampton.ac.uk at the University of Southampton.