Implementation research for prevention of noncommunicable disease risk factors in the WHO European Region

This report aims to outline how IR can accelerate progress towards reducing the prevalence of NCDs and premature mortality due to them, aligned to WHO and Sustainable Development Goal targets of a 33% reduction. It describes terminology related to IR and its role in improving implementation of health policies, programmes and services, and presents lessons learned from the initial phases of two pilot IR projects: school nutrition policies in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and brief interventions for NCD risk factors within primary care in Uzbekistan. Also covered are strategies to improve stakeholder involvement, and capacity-building activities aimed at supporting meaningful engagement between researchers and policy-makers to reduce gaps between theoretical approaches and on-the ground capacity for implementation of NCD policies across central Asian countries and the WHO European Region.