The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are way too many deaths every year being caused by wrong lifestyle choices. This means that many of them are avoidable and most of them are also from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Non-communicable diseases are those diseases that include diabetes, cancer, heart and lung disease, and stroke. WHO states that there are more than 38 million people in the world who are dying prematurely, and that about 42 percent of that number can be avoided.

WHO also states that 16 million of those people dying prematurely are under the age of 70. This means that many of them are dying during their most productive years. Most of these deaths, 82 percent of them, have been found to occur in poor to middle income countries.

Making certain lifestyle changes are the key for many people to avoiding premature death. Four elements are listed in the WHO report as being the major risk factors for getting an NCD. This are smoking, unhealthy diets, too much alcohol, and a lifestyle that is inactive.

Two countries that have greatly increased the number of deaths through NCDs are India and China. India is holding a special conference on NCDs because the number has risen to 26.2 percent in 2012.

China’s NCD rate is described by WHO as being “worryingly high.” This is because more than half of the men in the country smoke and four out of five children do not get enough physical activity. Diabetes in China has risen from one percent in 1980 to the current 12 percent, which are more than 110 people.

Among the P5 nations, which include the United States, China, Russia, France, and the UK, Russia has the highest NCD rate, which is currently at 29.2 percent. Switzerland has the lowest at just 9.2 percent.

The financial aspect of reducing NCDs can have tremendous benefits for nations everywhere. In 2011, the World Bank stated that if China could reduce cardiovascular diseases by one percent per year between 2010 and 2040, that it could get an extra $10.7 trillion in savings.

In order to combat the world-wide NCD problem, which is responsible for more deaths each year than any other cause, WHO came up with a plan in 2013. The plan, called the Global NCD Action Plan, asks for each nation to set up national goals to reduce lifestyle factors that lead to the early non-communicable diseases deaths. There is also a target date of 2025, at which time WHO wants to see a 25 percent reduction of NCDs from the four major factors.