Preface
In 2008 the World Health Assembly, at its sixty-first session, endorsed the Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, of which objective 4 focuses on research. To ensure optimal and effective use of scarce resources, it is essential that policies and programmes on noncommunicable diseases are based on scientific evidence, especially in low- and middle-income countries where resources for health are limited and demand is high. The global WHO noncommunicable disease research agenda will provide guidance to Member States in understanding and identifying key public health research needs related to noncommunicable diseases. To this end, the WHO Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion has produced this series of papers on research priorities in specific health areas, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries.