Today, 437 million people worldwide have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. New estimates published this month show that three-quarters of a billion people could have the disease by 2045 — and cities are the front line of this challenge. As the growth fast becomes unmanageable for health systems, shortening the lives of millions of urban citizens and constraining economic growth, Novo Nordisk is working with a coalition of major cities to bend the curve on type 2 diabetes. We’re calling for local political and health leaders of all cities to ask what it will take to change the trajectory of the disease in their area and to put into practice the new models that we are forging.
Cities Are the Front Line in the Global Diabetes Epidemic
How nine urban areas reduced the incidence of the disease.
November 28, 2017
Summary.
As diabetes becomes more and more common in cities around the world, local political and health leaders have undertaken a variety of strategies to confront the growing economic and public health toll of the disease. In this piece, the author describes three effective ways cities can fight the disease, as well as four existing policies that have already made an impact. Ultimately, reducing the threat of diabetes in our communities is no easy task — but with aggressive actions and ambitious goals, it is possible for cities to bring this burgeoning epidemic under control.