To enhance the effect of preventive measures, we take a life course approach focusing on windows of opportunity (childhood, adolescence, and women's reproductive years)
We aim to create more opportunities for healthy living and healthy pregnancies to reduce diabetes and related NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
We encourage partners to focus on key moments, especially during pregnancy and early childhood, and support individual, organisational, and systemic interventions. We guide partners in adopting a healthy settings approach, using schools and health facilities as entry points.
We aim to empower children, pregnant women, and their families, particularly those living in poverty, to live free from diabetes and related NCDs.
To do this, we support partners in making healthy choices easier by improving access to nutritious food and creating environments encouraging physical activity and healthy pregnancies. Our partners work at the individual level to help children, parents, and pregnant women make informed choices, but they also address organisational barriers to accessing healthy food and physical activities.
At the systemic level, we see the need to strengthen the policy environment and resources for NCD prevention. This comprehensive health promotion strategy combines policies and legislation with efforts to support individuals and organisations. Research shows that only changing individual behaviours is unlikely to succeed without addressing upstream factors.
We focus on preventing and treating Hyperglycaemia in Pregnancy (HIP) to lower the risk of diabetes in future generations. Building on over 20 years of experience, we encourage partners to support women in having healthy pregnancies through education and health promotion, promoting healthier product choices and physical activities.
We encourage partners to enhance screening, diagnosis, and treatment of HIP, including postpartum follow-up. Women need access to culturally relevant and socially acceptable advice, facilities with trained staff and necessary supplies for HIP screening and care.
We will leverage our experience from past school health projects to promote primary prevention in schools. We aim to improve children's health literacy through education and engagement.
In addition to teaching children and teachers about healthy living, our partners work with communities to change social norms that hinder healthy eating and active lifestyles. Social acceptance is vital for new behaviours to take root. While creating demand for healthy eating and physical activity is essential, individuals must also find opportunities to practice these behaviours in their surroundings.
Providing health information is essential but does not drive behaviour change alone. Decision-makers must enact regulations, such as sugar taxes or bans on trans fats, to foster access to healthy diets. Alongside building individual skills and improving access to nutritious foods and physical activities, our partners must focus on policy actions that protect individuals from NCD risks. It is especially crucial for vulnerable groups, as they often face more significant challenges in navigating unhealthy environments.