There are many reasons why chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity have been on the rise for decades. Some are due to risk factors that are not preventable, such as genetic factors and the simple fact that humans are living longer.
Doing nothing to stop this rise will only lead to more human suffering and more healthcare spending. Our customers are healthcare systems and the people using our treatments. If we do nothing to prevent chronic diseases, we are not living up to our values as a company, nor are we driving a sustainable business.
The main reasons for increased rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity often include a combination of increasing urbanisation, socioeconomic inequalities, less active lifestyles and poorer diets. These are areas where preventive actions can have a positive effect, by reducing socioeconomic inequalities and facilitating more active lifestyles and balanced diets.
We want to bend the curve on the rise of type 2 diabetes and obesity. There is no doubt prevention is key.
Keep reading and see how we work with chronic disease prevention.
100 years after the discovery of insulin, we are looking
ahead to the next 100 years of type 2 diabetes research. Together
with the University of Toronto, we have established the Novo
Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations . The
network will unite experts in public health and chronic disease
research to focus on uncovering new prevention tactics to halt
the rise of type 2 diabetes.
This interdisciplinary effort will explore critical questions related to chronic diseases such as how transportation, mobilities, and the built environment are key enablers of health and well-being. The role of new technologies including virtual care, remote training and support, and wearable devices in diabetes care and obesity prevention will also be explored.
As part of our efforts to find, pilot and scale solutions to prevent diabetes and obesity, we will invite communities, start-ups, businesses, NGOs and grassroot organisations, educational institutions, public agencies and more to submit proposals through a series of open innovation challenges.
The first challenge, the Healthy Food Challenge, will focus on
preventing obesity through solutions that advance healthy and
sustainable food environments among vulnerable people.
Click
here to learn more
Our second challenge, the Prevention Start-up Accelerator,
invited start-ups and scale-ups with predictive and/or preventative
digital solutions to stop the rise of obesity.
Click
here to learn more
Our third challenge, the Healthy Childhood Challenge, was a
global call for ideas which support and promote healthier
environments, launched by Novo Nordisk in collaboration with
UNICEF.
Click here to
learn more
Two out of three people living with type 2 diabetes reside in cities. The way urban areas are designed, built and run is changing the way we live and, in some cases, increasing our vulnerability to type 2 diabetes.
We coined the term ‘urban diabetes’ as a way to focus on the risk
factor inherent in cities, and launched a global public-private
partnership called Cities Changing Diabetes.
In more than 40 cities around the world, we are drawing attention to
type 2 diabetes as a crucial health issue in cities. We are working
with more than 150 partners to improve research and inform policies to
design interventions that deliver meaningful impact on the frontline
of the disease.
To learn more about our fight against urban diabetes, go to Cities Changing Diabetes.
Globally, 40 million children under the age of five are overweight. This puts them at risk of developing early onset of type 2 diabetes, and is a strong predictor of adult obesity.
These children may also face challenges in thriving and reaching
their full potential. Being overweight can contribute to
stigmatisation, poor socialisation and emotional difficulties, and in
some cases reduced educational attainment.
Together with UNICEF, we are working on the prevention of
childhood overweight and obesity. Starting in Mexico and Colombia, but
with a broader regional and global reach and impact, the partnership
aims to ‘shift the narrative’ regarding prevention of overweight and
obesity from a focus on individual responsibility to the need for
addressing environments that promote obesity.
We believe every child should have the chance to grow well in a
changing world and to fulfil their potential.
Visit UNICEF's website to see what is being done to improve the state of the world's children.
