WHO Foundation and Novo Nordisk collaborated to prevent childhood obesity in India

¨     WHO Foundation and Novo Nordisk collaborated to prevent childhood obesity in India.

¨     A new collaboration has been announced between the WHO Foundation and Novo Nordisk to support childhood obesity prevention initiatives in India.

¨     Through the partnership, financial support will be provided for strengthening obesity prevention strategies and improving health-system readiness in the country.

¨     The initiative has been designed to curb the growing burden of childhood obesity through a scalable school-based health programme.

¨     The collaboration has been aligned with the Government of India’s Ayushman Bharat School Health and Wellness Programme and the WHO Health Promoting Schools framework.

¨     According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity now contribute to more deaths globally than underweight conditions.

¨     Childhood obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes later in life.

¨     The project will focus on creating healthier early-life environments, promoting physical activity and identifying obesity-related risks among children at an early stage.

¨     India has been identified as a priority country for the initiative because of the increasing prevalence of obesity among younger populations.

¨     The programme will also work towards developing healthier school environments through health screening, lifestyle education and mental health support for students.

¨  Through coordinated efforts, the partnership aims to strengthen preventive healthcare approaches and empower school-aged children to adopt healthier lifestyles for the future.