Prevent NCD

20/02/2026

Cantabria reiterates: No alcohol sales to minors

Despite laws banning alcohol sales to minors, new findings from Cantabria in Spain show that 13% of surveyed students were still able to buy alcohol in shops, highlighting a critical gap between regulation and reality.

To address this, JA PreventNCD partners at IDIVAL and the Cantabria Regional Health Authority launched the campaign:

“We Do Not Sell Alcohol to Minors. Don’t Even Try, the Answer Is No.”

The initiative is already active in Santa Cruz de Bezana, Novales, Argoños and Castro Urdiales, with strong support from local businesses, supermarkets like Lupa, and municipal leaders. The campaign’s message now appears on posters, shop windows and digital supermarket screens, reminding everyone that protecting children’s health is a shared responsibility.

Read the full article :
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/cantabria-spain-reiterates-no-alcohol-sales-to-minors/

Gobierno de Cantabria

A community campaign in Cantabria targets underage alcohol access by working with shops and municipalities to reinforce the ban on sales to minors.

19/02/2026

The team on regulation and taxation are pleased to invite you to the webinar "Tracking Harmful Marketing in the Digital Age".

📅 25 February, 2026
🕓 11:00 - 12:30 CET
🎥 Online

💡 The webinar will bring together experts to address the complexities of monitoring the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages in online environments. It will feature findings from the CLICKBITE study regarding exposure assessment and advertiser perspectives, alongside practical applications of Artificial Intelligence (KidAd App) to map marketing targeted at children in Belgium.

To connect these technical insights with the European policy landscape, the session will conclude with a reflection on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its role in creating safer digital spaces.

More information and streaming link available here ⤵️
https://lnkd.in/ev55dw7J

13/02/2026

🌱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀

Moving on from breastfeeding and baby-friendly environment. Children’s dietary patterns influence their health outcomes throughout their lifetime, which makes educational settings pivotal for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

In our next article, we spotlight JA PreventNCD pilot interventions in 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮 where communities are co-creating supportive food environments in schools and kindergartens. From participatory needs assessments to school gardens and collaborative nutrition committees, these efforts show how integrated, community-based approaches can create meaningful change.

👉 What does this look like in practice? How are children, parents, educators and public health professionals joining forces? And what tools are being developed to support broader implementation?

🔗𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/healthier-eating-in-schools-and-kindergartens/

JA PreventNCD partners in Croatia and Slovenia are developing handbooks and training to support healthy eating in schools and kindergartens, engaging parents and improving food environments.

12/02/2026

We are proud to see our Scientific Coordinator, Knut-Inge Klepp, contributing to the Wellbeing Economy Forum 2026 in Reykjavík🌍

Strengthening prevention and promoting healthier societies requires strong leadership, scientific excellence, and cross-sector collaboration values at the core of JA PreventNCD. We look forward to the important discussions ahead on building wellbeing-oriented policies across Europe.

🌍 𝐊𝐧𝐮𝐭-𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐊𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐩, 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐍𝐂𝐃, 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞

We are pleased to welcome Knut-Inge Klepp to the Wellbeing Economy Forum, taking place on April 16–17 in Reykjavík.

Professor Klepp serves as Scientific Coordinator of 𝐉𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐍𝐂𝐃 at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and is Professor at the University of Oslo. The Wellbeing Economy Forum is proud to be part of JA PreventNCD, a European collaboration dedicated to reducing the burden of non communicable diseases across Europe.

Having joined us last year, Professor Klepp returns to the Forum stepping onto the main stage and contributing valuable expertise to this year’s programme. With extensive experience in public health leadership and more than 300 scientific publications, his work focuses on adolescent health promotion, prevention of non communicable diseases, and the evaluation of public health measures.

📅 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟔–𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | 📍 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐚, 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐤𝐣𝐚𝐯𝐢́𝐤, 𝐈𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝
🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://tix.is/en/event/20759/velsaeldarthing

10/02/2026

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗷𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗮

The last week of January represented an important milestone for the JA PreventNCD Sustainability work package, as the Sustainability, Coordination, and Dissemination and Communication Team, as well as EuroHealthNet met in person at the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗷𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗮 for two days of focused discussion.

Across the meeting, participants:
🔹 reviewed progress and next steps across WP4 tasks,
🔹 advanced discussions on the Sustainability Framework and Sustainability Plan, which mark the most important milestone of the project,
🔹 engaged in strategic brainstorming on EU CNCD Prevention, including next milestones and implementation plans, and
🔹 discussed strategic documents and governance mechanisms important for the implementation of JA PreventNCD actions.

A strong shared message emerged: in order for the sustainability work to be successful, it requires early and strategic integration of policy, practice, governance, and communication, as well as clos collaboration across WPs and Competent Authorities.

The 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗣4 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 is grateful to all colleagues who contributed in the meeting with their work, expertise, and insights.

🔗 Read more here: https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/wp4-strategic-sustainability-discussions-in-ljubljana/

From Sustainability planning to EU governance and wellbeing economy discussions, WP4 partners advanced key strategic priorities during the JA PreventNCD meeting in Ljubljana.

05/02/2026

Strengthening Breastfeeding Support Across Europe: Prevention Starts at the Beginning of Life


JA PreventNCD is pleased to share important progress from the team working on Healthy Living Environment (WP6), which focuses on implementing and evaluating integrated interventions that address the key determinants of cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across different settings and throughout the life course.


Breastfeeding is a powerful and proven prevention strategy. It reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and type II diabetes in women, while supporting healthy growth and development in children. Importantly, it also helps reduce social inequalities.


One approach making a real difference is the Baby-Friendly Community Health Service (BFCHS). Originally developed in Norway as an extension of the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly framework into primary and community health care, BFCHS was recognised in 2022 as an EU Best Practice for NCD prevention. It demonstrated clear effectiveness in increasing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

Through JA PreventNCD, this Best Practice is now being transferred and adapted across multiple European countries. From the Arctic regions of Norway to Castelló in Spain, communities are adapting a shared model to diverse social, geographic, and health system contexts.


🔗 Learn more about BFCHS within JA PreventNCD:
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/baby-friendly-community-health-services-expanding-all-over-europe/

Discover how the BFCHS best practice is scaling from Norway to Lithuania, Ukraine, Greece, Slovenia, Italy and Spain, improving community-based breastfeeding support and reducing inequalities.

04/02/2026

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 – 5𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

14 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿

The 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 (𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗖5) outlines 14 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 that empower people to reduce their cancer risk. Designed for the general population across the EU, the guidance is practical, accessible and grounded in the latest scientific evidence.

For the first time, ECAC5 also speaks directly to 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, with 14 complementary population-level recommendations. These call for policies that address social, environmental, economic and structural barriers to healthier behaviours and access to prevention.


Prevention works best when individuals are supported by systems that make healthy choices easier.


🔗 Learn more about IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization's European Code Against Cancer: https://cancer-code-europe.iarc.who.int/

Discover the European Code Against Cancer with 14 evidence-based recommendations to help you prevent cancer and lower your cancer risk.

04/02/2026

📢 Don’t miss the webinar, happening next week!

hashtag is pleased to invite you to the webinar “The first 1000-day window of opportunity: breastfeeding for a healthy start and a healthy future”, taking place on 13 February, 12:00–13:00 CET.

Organized by the JA PreventNCD Team on Baby-Friendly Community & Health Services, this session will focus on the crucial role of the first 1000 days of life and breastfeeding as a key strategy for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and for promoting lifelong health for both mothers and children.

Key speakers:
🟣Nigel Rollins, Queen's University Belfast: The evidence of breastfeeding for the prevention of NCDs in both mother and child
🟣Julianne Williams, WHO Regional Office for Europe: Strategies to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in Europe
🟣Patti Rundall, Baby Milk Action/IBFAN UK: Marketing and regulation of breast milk substitutes (BMS) in Europe

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here for registration and agenda ⤵️
https://lnkd.in/etJk2MPx

04/02/2026

4𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆

Led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) World Cancer Day was established 26 years ago to raise public awareness about cancer prevention, research and treatment.

The 2025–2027 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲, “𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲”, puts people at the centre of care, recognising that every cancer journey is different.

In 2025, the campaign amplified personal cancer stories from people living with cancer and those affected by it, such as families, caregivers and health professionals. Highlighting the power of people-centred care.

Building on this, in 2026 the campaign aims to turn lived experiences into advocacy that drives systemic change. It calls on policymakers and health systems to adopt people-centred cancer strategies that prioritise holistic, compassionate care.

🔗 Learn more and read the 2025 impact report: https://www.worldcancerday.org/

An international awareness day led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise worldwide attention and inspire action for a cancer-free future.

26/01/2026

📢 World Health Organization 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀


Children spend a large part of their day in school, making it a powerful setting to shape lifelong dietary habits and reduce health and nutrition inequities. Yet, in many countries, foods available in and around schools are very unhealthy and often misaligned with national dietary guidance.


To address this challenge, the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety is launching a new guideline on policies and interventions to create a healthy school food environment. This guideline provides comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations to support healthier diets in schools and help reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases.


𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁:
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏰ 13:00-14:00 CET
📍 Online

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2026/01/27/default-calendar/launch-of-the-who-guideline-on-policies-and-interventions-to-create-healthy-school-food-environments

This WHO guideline offers Member States evidence-based recommendations and implementation considerations on policies and interventions to improve school food environments.

26/01/2026

𝐉𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐍𝐂𝐃 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞.

On 𝟐𝟐 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, we held the first meeting of our new 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, an important milestone as the project moves further into implementation and begins delivering a growing number of practical results and tools.

The Stakeholder Group brings together a 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝, helping to ensure that JA PreventNCD outputs are:

✅ Relevant for policy and practice
✅ Informed by external expertise and feedback
✅ Better connected to decision-makers, practitioners and networks across Europe
✅ Widely disseminated where they can make the biggest difference

A key strength of the group is its 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, allowing us to connect the right expertise to the right outputs at the right time.

As our deliverables increase in the coming years, this kind of engagement will be essential to help turn results into action and support 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐂𝐃𝐬 across Europe.

👉 Read more about the meeting and what comes next: https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/news-updates/ja-preventncd-kicks-off-its-stakeholder-group-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-boost-impact/

JA PreventNCD held its first Stakeholder Group meeting on 22 January 2026 to strengthen collaboration, improve outputs, and expand impact.

23/01/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

On 𝟏𝟗 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, the JA PreventNCD team working on Baby-Friendly Communities and Health Services (Task 6.5) hosted an international online workshop on “𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.”

The workshop brought together perspectives from 𝐖𝐇𝐎/𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 and 𝐏𝐀𝐇𝐎, operational experiences from multiple countries and contexts, and practical tools to support preparedness and response. Discussions highlighted that protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding and appropriate infant and young child feeding can be life-saving in emergencies, while also shaping long-term health across the life course.

📌 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 (𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞):
https://www.preventncd.eu/newsroom/events/infant-feeding-in-emergencies-strengthening-baby-friendly-communities-for-resilience-and-preparedness-international-workshop-summary-and-recording/

🎥 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞):
https://www.preventncd.eu/resources/webinars/infant-feeding-in-emergencies-strengthening-baby-friendly-communities-for-preparedness-resilience/