Health x Wellness
Novo Nordisk launches ‘Your Weight Can’t Wait’ Campaign
This campaign focuses on adolescents and seeks to create awareness of obesity as a medical disease. It encourages caregivers and healthcare providers to be proactive in tackling its consequences.
From 2017 to 2021, the proportion of students who were overweight (BMI-for-age at or above the 90th percentile) in schools (primary, secondary and pre-university levels) has increased from 13 percent to 16 percent. In 2021, The Weight Management Clinic at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) reported a 12 per cent increase in such cases as compared to 2019, while the Division of Paediatric Endocrinology at National University Hospital (NUH) reported a 15 per cent increase.
If left unchecked, adolescent obesity would lead to a myriad of health and psychological issues later in life.
Your Weight Can’t Wait campaign seeks to increase awareness of the dangers of obesity
Novo Nordisk has made it a priority to tackle the issue of adolescent obesity.
Using a multi pronged approach, Your Weight Can’t Wait campaign aims
to increase awareness regarding the dangers of obesity amongst adolescents and their caregivers, and also encourage them to seek more information on obesity and management options.
On the official website – yourweightcantwait.sg – there are resources available about understanding what obesity is, weight management options, how to take action now, and an expert finder.
The expert finder can help people find qualified healthcare or medical professionals to speak about weight management. The Singapore Association for the Study of Obesity (SASO) council selected the experts featured in this tool based on the professional’s qualifications and experience.
There is also Ottese the otter, the campaign’s official mascot here to remind adolescents that obesity should not be an issue that is faced alone, but with the help of a strong and cohesive family unit.
As part of the campaign, #ywcwchallenge is a physical challenge taking place on various social media platforms involving both strength and balance, where participants balance an apple on their head and perform 10 squats. This activity will remind everyone upon the importance of keeping active, thereby raising awareness on obesity.
Images credit to Novo Nordisk
