These behaviours are related to several major diseases, for instance, circulatory and respiratory diseases, and different forms of cancer and, according to calculations published by the WHO (WHO, 2009, Table 1, high-income countries), they are responsible for more than five million annual deaths in high-income countries worldwide. More specifically, the WHO estimates suggest that 68 per cent of the deaths and 44 per cent of the disability-adjusted life years are caused by a modifiable health risk (high-income countries). The last half century has brought large population-wide changes in health-related behaviour. Some of these changes - for instance, the decrease in smoking prevalence in several countries - can be expected to have had beneficial health effects.