Accessibility statement

The annual Health Sciences’ John Snow lecture was given by Professor Simon Capewell last night

Posted on 29 April 2015

His talk entitled: “Public Health Prevention Plans: Pills, Policies, Politics or Partnerships?” looked at the burden of death and disability from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

Professor Capewell, who is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, explained that NCDs accounted for two thirds of the 60 million global deaths in 2012. Some 40% of these were caused by cardiovascular disease – mainly heart disease and strokes. NCDs have four major risk factors – tobacco, alcohol, inactivity and poor diet – with poor diet making a bigger contribution than the other three combined. However, he pointed out that health prevention planners face a bewildering choice of strategies – pills, policies, politics or partnerships with industry.

The lecture, which was jointly organised by Health Sciences and the Hull York Medical School, was well attended by staff, students and public.

John Snow was born in York in 1813 and was a physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene.

Picture shows left to right, Professors Karl Atkin, Simon Capewell and Ian Watt