Improving follow-up visits among individuals with hypertension: Quality Improvement project in the District Hospital, Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, 2021–2022
A quality improvement (QI) initiative conducted by the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) between January 2021 and September 2022 led to an increase in monthly follow-up visits from 21% to 37% and a decrease in missed health visits from 66% to 22%. Of the individuals counseled by ASHA home visits, 74.9% returned for follow-up. The […]
Fourth Time a Charm?—How to Make the UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases Effective
In a new article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Dr. Tom Frieden and colleagues call for a focused strategy and more investment to address the world’s leading killer diseases. The article outlines specific, effective, and measurable steps countries can take to make progress and increase the chances that the upcoming […]
Trans fat elimination: Maximizing lives saved through policy implementation and enforcement
Once a best-practice trans fat elimination policy is passed and adopted, it must be implemented and enforced. This advocacy document developed by Resolve to Save Lives serves as a guide for the monitoring and enforcement of best practice policies that eliminate industrially produced trans fat from a country’s food supply.
Managing cardiovascular disease with WHO HEARTS
A two-page advocacy brief developed by Resolve to Save Lives to highlight the key elements of WHO’s HEARTS technical package for managing cardiovascular disease:
Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline
Just switching from regular salt to low-sodium alternatives can save lives. WHO now recommends this life-saving strategy pioneered by Resolve to Save Lives to reduce salt intake and its associated health risks.
Webinar: using data on packaged food to drive policy change and save lives
The only resource of its kind, Resolve to Save Lives’ (RTSL) new and improved Global Nutrition Database now includes 55 datasets covering the sugar, sodium, and saturated fat content of packaged foods from 36 countries. The updated database provides more detailed information on national packaged food policies in each country, as well as the updated […]
Standard clinical protocols for managing hypertension
Using simple, practical treatment protocols standardizes a high quality of care and significantly improves health outcomes in large-scale hypertension control programs. Not only do they provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that empower non-physician health care workers to manage patient care closer to home, they also unlock bulk purchasing for essential medications, lowering costs and the risk […]
Development of a Subnational Health Security Capacities Assessment Tool: Lessons From Nigeria and Implications for the Implementation of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Strategy
In a study published in Health Security, Resolve to Save Lives and partners introduce a tool for assessing subnational health security in Nigeria that evaluates state-level capacities under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). With input from public health leaders and legal experts, the team used a legislative evaluation to determine feasible IHR activities within […]
Unlocking health equity through free blood pressure medications
A new analysis by Resolve to Save Lives and partners is clear: removing patient copayments for anti-hypertensive medications reduces risk of heart attack, stroke, and hospitalization. Countries should explore providing free blood pressure medications as a way to save lives and meet sustainable development goals, particularly in LMICs where 80% of hypertension-related deaths occur and […]
WHO recommends lower-sodium, potassium-enriched salt in place of table salt
Infographic from Resolve to Save Lives highlighting key points from “Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline,” why it matters, and what it means for countries.
User Guide for RTSL’s Global Nutrition Database
Detailed user guide to supplement use of Resolve to Save Lives’ Global Nutrition Database for Packaged Foods, an online, open access, centralized platform for category level packaged food data that policy advocates and decisionmakers can reference when developing food policies or tracking country progress.
Tools for the Assessment of the Public Food Procurement and Policy Landscape
A comprehensive assessment of the existing food procurement landscape is crucial to the development, implementation, and evaluation of a healthy public food procurement policy that is relevant to the specific context. Resolve to Save Lives has developed example surveys for capturing key aspects of the food procurement and policy landscape. These surveys should be adapted […]
Effectiveness and safety of using standardized treatment protocols for hypertension
This new systematic review demonstrates that standardized and simplified hypertension treatment protocols significantly reduce high blood pressure compared with usual hypertension care. Simple hypertension management protocols streamline treatment steps, improving outcomes for patients and making medications more available and affordable. ABSTRACT Large gaps persist in the diagnosis, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension globally. Standardized treatment […]
Integrated Antihypertensive and Statin Treatment Protocols for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
A new paper in Global Hearts co-authored by RTSL advocates for integrating hypertension medicines and cholesterol medicines into treatment plans to address the 90% of patients in low- and middle-income countries who don’t receive the cholesterol medications they need for primary cardiovascular disease prevention. Including statin treatment within existing HEARTS hypertension and diabetes protocols can help […]
Designing Front-of-Package Labels to Inform Consumers and Encourage Healthier Food Choices in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study
This study, co-authored by the RTSL nutrition team, uses focus groups of consumers in Bangladesh to better understand purchasing decisions and effectiveness of nutrition labels. Chief food purchase concerns include that a food has sufficient beneficial nutrients, is free from germs or toxins, and does not contain high levels of nutrients of concern. Results suggest […]
Trends in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in the Thai population, 2004 to 2020
A new study in BMC conducted and funded by RTSL’s partners in Thailand analyzes trends in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in Thailand over the past 15 years. Despite significant strides such as the adoption of universal health coverage, hypertension awareness and blood pressure control remain a challenge throughout Thailand. An urgent and concerted public […]
Global overview of government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies of packaged foods: a document review
Clear and accurate nutrition labeling on food products is an important way for consumers to understand what’s in the foods they buy. This new comprehensive review in Frontiers led by partners at the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and co-authored by Resolve to Save Lives shows that governments are scaling up action to help consumers make informed food […]
Guidelines for Media Planning
A resource outlining Vital Strategies’ Breakthrough model for planning strategic communication campaigns to achieve measurable public health outcomes.
RTSL-UW Lives Saved Calculator
Models how many lives could be saved in countries around the world by scaling up hypertension control and reducing salt consumption by the year 2040
FOPWL regulations around the globe
Overview of front-of-package warning labelling policies around the world developed by GHAI
Countering Industry Interference: Food Industry Watch Resources
Centralized location for industry alerts, policy briefs, and reports to help organizations stay up-to-date on the ultra-processed food and beverage industry.
Reducing Demand for Unhealthy Food: Resources
Collection of advocacy resources on various health food policies such as Front-of-Package Warning Labels, Marketing Restrictions, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes, and Trans fatty Acids Eliminations.
Advocacy Action Guide Four Phases to Health Policy Success
Guide developed by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) to provide public health advocates with strategies, case studies, and lessons from over 40 countries to plan, organize, and implement effective advocacy for health policy outcomes.
NOURISHING Database
The NOURISHING database, built on the NOURISHING policy framework, offers a comprehensive set of policies to guide policymakers, researchers, and civil society in promoting healthy diets and combating obesity and NCDs across ten key action areas.
RTSL Global Nutrition Database for Packaged Foods
Provides centralized access to category level nutrient data for packaged foods sold around the world
Improving hypertension care among private sector providers in India
A recent analysis authored by RTSL and our partners in India shows a lack of awareness among private sector providers in India that high blood pressure is a critical health threat. Providing prescriptions to patients is the first step in increasing medication availability and affordability. To encourage evidence-based hypertension care, the government and NGOs could implement […]
Arm Position and Blood Pressure Readings: The ARMS Crossover Randomized Clinical Trial
Faulty blood pressure readings can put lives at risk. A new randomized clinical trial shows that commonly used arm positions (lap or side) result in substantially higher blood pressure readings which can lead to false diagnoses and over-treatment. To measure blood pressures accurately, the arm should be supported at heart level. The authors call for clinical […]
Using timeliness metrics for household contact tracing and TB preventive therapy
Can 7-1-7 help household contacts of tuberculosis patients get started on preventive therapy? In the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, our colleagues at International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease used a mixed-methods approach to assess the feasibility of the timeliness metric in the private sector in Chennai, India. Among 263 index patients, […]
Phone Calls to Overdue Patients with Hypertension – factsheet
This two-page factsheet outlines the key takeaways from the full guide, Guide for Management of Overdue Patients with Hypertension, and is designed as a resource for staff in your hypertension clinic. Other related resources: Designing an optimal digital tool for hypertension and other long-term treatment programs Leading a Good Data Review Meeting – full […]
Leading a Good Data Review Meeting – factsheet
This one-page factsheet outlines the key takeaways from the full guide, Leading a Good Data Review Meeting, and is designed as a resource for staff in your hypertension clinic. Other related resources: Designing an optimal digital tool for hypertension and other long-term treatment programs Guide for Management of Overdue Patients with Hypertension Phone Calls […]