The Policy Report: Overview

Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention is WCRF/AICR’s evidence-based Policy Report published in 2009, a companion publication to the Second Expert Report.

The Second Expert Report is the most authoritative and comprehensive report ever published on diet, physical activity, body fatness and cancer. The Panel of experts produced personal recommendations for people as well as goals for the population as a whole.

Setting these targets was a vital first step. Equally important is understanding how to achieve them.

Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention addresses why people have particular eating and physical eating habits over a lifetime. It looks at the success of studies that have been designed to change those behaviours.

It provides advice and guidance on what can be done to influence and change the lifestyle choices that people make, as they relate to their risk of cancer.

To find out more about the policy-related activities of WCRF International please visit the Policy and advocacy section of the WCRF International website.

Methodology

A robust and comprehensive approach underpins our Policy Report. It is based on two systematic literature reviews (SLRs) of the available evidence. The first SLR looked at the factors that affect the foods we eat and the physical activity we do.

The second SLR looked at the published evidence on how effective existing interventions and programmes are at changing dietary habits.

These SLRs were supplemented with additional information by the Secretariat, Expert Panel and by Peer Reviewers, in order to locate research and other evidence from lower income counties.

Recommendations

The Policy Report sets out recommendations for nine actor groups – groups across society who make decisions or policy in all relevant areas. The actor groups represent all levels of society from international United Nations agencies to families and local communities.

The Policy Report recommendations are based on the evidence of the SLR process, the collective experience of the Expert Panel, the scientific knowledge acquired during the development of the Second Expert Report and existing guidelines produced by other organisations.

Every recommendation takes both the strength of evidence and the likely impact of that intervention into account.

Expert Panel

The Policy Report was produced by the same Expert Panel responsible for the Second Expert Report and an additional three scientists with relevant expertise in policy issues. The additional members were:

Barry Popkin PhD MSc BSc
Carolina Population Center
University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Jane Wardle PhD MPhil
University College London, UK

Nick Cavill MPH
British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group
University of Oxford, UK