Joint Action on implementing good practices for chronic diseases (CHRODIS+, 2017-2020)

It has been estimated that chronic diseases cost EU economies €115 billion or 0.8% of GDP annually. CHRODIS+ (2017-2020) contributed to the reduction of this burden during its 36 months of operation by promoting the implementation of policies and practices with demonstrated success.

This Joint Action raised the awareness that in a health-promoting Europe – free of preventable chronic diseases, premature death and avoidable disability – initiatives on chronic diseases should build on four cornerstones:

• health promotion and primary prevention as a way to reduce the burden of chronic diseases,
• patient empowerment,
• tackling functional decline and quality of life as the main consequences of chronic diseases,
• making health systems sustainable and responsive to the ageing of our populations associated with the epidemiological transition.

CHRODIS+ was a high level response from EU countries to step up together and share good practices to alleviate the burden of chronic diseases. 42 participating institutions from 18 EU countries plus Norway, Serbia and Iceland worked together to achieve the common goal.

EuroHealthNet led work on health promotion, including country reports and the implementation of good practices in this area. It also supports partners in organising 15 policy dialogues at national level and two at EU-level.

CHRODIS+ built on the work of JA-CHRODIS, the European Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle (2014-2017). JA-CHRODIS aimed to promote and facilitate a process of exchange and transfer of good practices between European countries and regions, addressing chronic conditions, with a specific focus on health promotion and prevention of chronic conditions, multimorbidity and type 2 diabetes.

Key resources that come forth from the CHRODIS+ Joint Action are:

• Recommendations for the Implementation of Good Health Promotion practices. A summary of the report is available here.
• Report on learnings from the Joint Action CHRODIS PLUS Policy Dialogues
• Health Promotion and Primary Prevention in 21 European Countries –  A Comparative Overview of Key Policies, Approaches, Examples of Good Practice, and Gaps and Needs
• A final conference was held in October 2020. Recordings and supporting materials are available here.
• In October 2020, CHRODIS+ organised a session on Public Health Forum Gastein called Closing the evidence-practice gap on NCDs- Translation, transfer and sustainability for comprehensive responses across Europe.

Read more

• CHRODIS+ Final Conference (Recordings and supporting material available)
• Closing the evidence-practice gap on NCDs – Session during European Health Forum Gastein (Recording available)
• For more information about CHRODIS and CHRODIS+, visit the website.
• All results of JA-CHRODIS+ 2017-2020) are available here.
• All results of JA-CHRODIS (2014-2017) are available here.