Novo Nordisk launches “It’s about my health. Not just my weight” obesity disease awareness campaign
- Recent research shows nearly a quarter surveyed say it is hard to talk to their doctor about their weight.
- Campaign encourages people to have conversations with their healthcare professional about their weight and health.
Novo Nordisk Ireland has announced the launch of its new obesity disease awareness campaign, “It’s about my health. Not just my weight”, to raise awareness about the chronic disease of obesity and to encourage people to have discussions with their healthcare professional about their weight and health. The campaign will launch on 14th April and run for four weeks across various platforms.
Recent research, undertaken on behalf of Novo Nordisk by iReach Insights revealed the challenges faced by people in Ireland who want to lose weight. Nearly half (46%) of respondents in the study, who want to lose weight, have never discussed their weight with their healthcare professional, and 1 in 4 say it’s hard to talk to their healthcare professional about their weight. Only 1 in 5, or 22% of respondents who are actively seeking to lose weight have spoken to a healthcare professional about their weight in the last six months.
Over the last 30 years the levels of overweight and obesity in Ireland have increased significantly across all age groups, social class and genders. This shift in population level Body Mass Index (BMI) is heavily influenced and shaped by changes in the environment that we are born into, live, work, play and age in.1 Ireland has one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe, with 60% of adults and over 20% of children and young people living with overweight and obesity.2
Commenting on the campaign, Nina Hovland, General Manager and Vice President of Novo Nordisk in Ireland said: “We’ve learned from our recent research that people find it difficult to talk to their healthcare professional about their weight. We want to make it easier for people to have these conversations and to understand the health benefits of their weight management plan. Our Truth About Weight.ie website is a new resource that includes a guide with a series of questions to begin this dialogue and help foster open conversations about weight and health. We believe that our campaign, featuring across television, radio, out of home and social media platforms, will encourage people to talk to their healthcare professional about their weight and their health.”
Susie Birney, Executive Director of the Irish Coalition for People Living with Obesity (ICPO) added: “There are many discussions in the public domain where there is much confusion between obesity and weight loss. This campaign highlights the importance for people to talk to their doctor or healthcare professional about their health, or their concerns about overweight or obesity, and to be directed to the relevant support they may need.”
The Out of Home advertising campaign will run nationally in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Athlone, and will include a QR code that directs audiences to TruthAboutWeight.ie, a dedicated educational resource from Novo Nordisk Ireland intended for people living with overweight or obesity.
The TruthAboutWeight.ie website is a resource to empower people to learn more about their weight loss journey with information on healthy lifestyle changes and emphasises the importance of a strong partnership with healthcare professionals in managing overweight and obesity. The site provides a useful guide for people to begin a dialogue with their healthcare professional about their weight and their health, suggests some helpful questions to begin the conversation as well as an overview of the science of weight loss and obesity and understanding the impact of obesity on health.
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 72,000 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Read our Latest News