Public Health Index

Public Health Index

The burden of chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer is rising globally. This is straining health systems and societies at large: in Germany, for example, contributions to the statutory health and long-term care insurance are projected to increase to up to 28% of payrolls by 2035, and sick leave – standing currently at 25 days per year – is rising. Strengthening prevention is crucial to halt and reverse these trends. To be effective, prevention must address the major risk factors for disease and premature death. This includes unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco, and alcohol, which are responsible for approximately one quarter of the global burden of chronic disease.

Clear, evidence-based recommendations for policies to address these risk factors exist, but adoption and implementation vary considerably across countries: while some countries have adopted sets of effective policies, others lag behind. To track progress and identify good practice examples, we have developed the Public Health Index as a comprehensive benchmarking instrument to systematically assess the adoption of evidence-based policies addressing major risk factors for chronic disease across countries. The first iteration of the Public Health Index was published in 2025, and an update is planned for 2027.

Funder: AOK Bundesverband

Project partners: AOK Bundesverband, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Lausanne University, University of Southern Denmark

Project period: since 2025

Project website (in German): www.aok.de/pp/public-health/index/

Selected publications

• AOK Bundesverband & DKFZ: Public Health Index 2025: Gesundheitsschutz im europäischen Vergleich. (Online, Open Access)