We would like to draw you attention to the following interesting websites:

• European health for all database
• Cancer Control PLANET
• EUROSTAT
• Atlas of European Values
• European Code against Cancer
• The EPIC study
• DAFNE
• Comparative Risk Assessment
• DG Health and Consumer Protection: Public Health Europe
• Closing the Gap
• Scottish Public Health Observatory
• European Comparative Alcohol Study (ECAS)
• European Health Risk Monitoring Project (EHRM)
• European Network of Cancer Registries
• EU activities in the area of cancer prevention and control
• Eurothine
  

 

European health for all database
WHO-database Health for All in Europe contains valuable and illustrative data on the prevalences of various exposures of interest such as smoking, alcohol, fruits and vegetables. 

Cancer Control PLANET:
The visitor of this website is guided in 5 steps into developing a comprehensive cancer control plan or programme.
Tips for potential partners, research reviews of different intervention approaches, research-tested intervention programmes and product and planning and evaluation of your programme are provided.

EUROSTAT:
Detailed statistics on the EU and candidate countries, and various statistical publications for sale. [English/French/German]

Atlas of European Values:
More than 800 million people can call themselves Europeans: from Finland to Malta and from Iceland to Azerbaijan. Their cultures and societies have all been influenced by the Roman Empire, Christianity, Enlightenment and two World Wars. This communal history has not led to one European culture. The importance of God, the value of leisure time, the significance of having children and the disapproval of homosexuality all differ enormously between countries, and also influence many health related behaviours.
This diversity is made visible in the full color Atlas of European Values.

European Code against Cancer:
Any recommendation made to reduce cancer occurrence should not be one which could lead to an increased risk of other diseases. The recommendations which comprise the revised European Code Against Cancer should, if followed, also lead to improvements in other aspects of general health. It is important to recognise from the outset that each individual has choices to make about their lifestyle some of which could lead to a reduction in their risk of developing cancer. These choices, and the rationale underlying their recommendation, are presented.

The EPIC study:
EPIC was designed to investigate the relationships between diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental factors and the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases. EPIC is the largest study of diet and health ever undertaken, having recruited over half a million (520,000) people in ten European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom

DAFNE:
The Data Food Networking (DAFNE) initiative is a joint effort of European countries to compare the food habits of their populations and monitor time trends in food availability, through the creation of a non-static, regularly-updated food databank. The overall aim is the development of a nutrition monitoring tool that could assist the formulation, implementation and evaluation of nutritional policies across Europe.

Comparative Risk Assessment:
Publications on the comparative quantification of health risks: global and regional mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors

DG Health and Consumer Protection: Public Health Europe
Dissemination of health information and data on cancer

Closing the Gap
This project aims to close the gap in premature, preventable morbidity, disability and mortality between current EU and applicant countries, with special regard to improving the health of working population and diminishing inequalities in access to health. Creating a baseline for monitoring evolution of preventable, premature mortality risk factors following enlargement. Favourable modification of major risk factors for diseases, especially alcohol and selected nutritional factors (obesity), as well as future contribution to tobacco control.

Scottish Public Health Observatory
This website includes information on risk factor prevalence for Scotland (smoking, alcohol, diet, and physical activity under the heading 'Behaviour'; obesity under the heading 'Clinical risk factors'). In some cases, comparisons with England and other countries are included, as well as links to other websites that contain international comparisons of risk factor prevalence.

European Comparative Alcohol Study (ECAS)
The output from the ECAS project is summarised in a report at this website. Four chapters focus on country differences and postwar trends in the following aspects: alcohol policies, aggregate consumption, drinking patterns, and alcohol-related mortality. The topic of drinking patterns is also treated in a chapter on recent survey data. The link between mortality and population drinking, and the role of alcohol in socioeconomic differences in mortality are also discussed.

European Health Risk Monitoring Project (EHRM)
This project was part of the European Commission's (EC) Health Monitoring Programme. EHRM planned chronic disease risk factor indicators and mechanisms for standardized national population risk factor surveys. Such surveys will in member countries gather original core information on major chronic disease risk factors, related behaviours and determinants, in order to serve and evaluate disease prevention and health promotion efforts in the countries and on European level.
The major chronic diseases concerned are cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers and diabetes. Nutrition and physical activity were not considered because they were dealt with by other projects of the HMP.

European Network of Cancer Registries
The European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) was established in 1989 within the framework of the ‘Europe Against Cancer’ programme of the European Commission.
The Network has the following objectives:
- to improve the quality, comparability and availability of cancer incidence data,
- to create a basis for monitoring cancer incidence and mortality in the European Union,
- to provide regular information on the burden of cancer in Europe,
- to promote the use of cancer registries in cancer control, health-care planning and research.

EU cancer-related activities
This site presents statistics (eg, European comparisons of survival from breast cancer) with limited interpretation or cautions.  Some of the "lifestyle" statistics may be useful for EUROCADET.

Eurothine
The over-all aim of Eurothine is to facilitate mutual learning by collecting and analysing information from different European countries that will help policy-makers at the European and national level to develop rational strategies for tackling socioeconomic inequalities in health.