Other Changing Diabetes^® Initiatives

In September 2006, Novo Nordisk launched ‘A Global Drive to Change Diabetes,’ also known as the Changing Diabetes^® Bus. This world bus tour is raising awareness on diabetes and reaches out to the broader public, people with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and politicians to encourage both behavioural change and political action.

From 2006 to 2009, the Changing Diabetes^® Bus toured a total of 31 countries across five continents, offering more than 260,000 visitors the opportunity to learn more about diabetes, including risk factors, symptoms, and prevention. More than 127,000 had their blood glucose measured. In all countries, the events were carried out in collaboration with local patient associations, professional organisations, municipalities, and other partners.

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Type 1 diabetes in children has a high mortality rate in poor countries. The life expectancy for a child with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa is typically less than one year.

In December 2008, Novo Nordisk announced an ambitious 5-year programme to change the future of children with diabetes. The programme, called Changing Diabetes^® in Children aims to give access to diabetes care for children living with type 1 diabetes in some of the world’s poorest countries. The programme is initiated in 6 countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is implemented in partnership with national ministries of health, diabetes associations, local key opinion leaders, and with support from a number of external industry partners.

The Changing Diabetes^® in Children programme is a part of Novo Nordisk’s Access to Diabetes Care strategy, and builds on the UN-defined cornerstones in the right to health, building long-term solutions for improving availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of diabetes care for children with type 1 diabetes in least developed countries.

In addition, the Programme works to contribute to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In particular, Goal 4: Reduce child mortality and Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development.

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DAWN is a global programme to improve psychosocial support for people with diabetes through an international framework for advocacy, guidelines, practical tools, and best practices. The main purpose of the initial DAWN Study in 2001 was to identify new ways to overcome psychosocial barriers to optimal health and quality of life of adults with diabetes and those at risk. It was the first and largest study of its kind. The initial study has now evolved into a global multi-stakeholder programme calling for concerted action to improve diabetes care for both adults (DAWN programme) and youth (DAWN Youth).

Key action goals of the DAWN Programme

The findings of the DAWN^™ study led to five major insights that shape the DAWN programme today:

• Enhance communications between people with diabetes and healthcare providers


• Promote communication and coordination between healthcare providers


• Promote active self-management


• Reduce barriers to effective therapy


• Enable better psychological care for people with diabetes

In order to achieve these goals, the following DAWN strategies for action can be used aiming at:

• Raising awareness and building concerted advocacy


• Educating and mobilizing people with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes


• Training healthcare providers and enhancing their abilities


• Implementing practical tools and systems


• Promoting policy and healthcare system changes


• Taking part in psychosocial research in diabetes

In 2009, DAWN began focusing on the implementation of psychosocial monitoring in diabetes care in the DAWN MIND Programme. The initial experience with the DAWN MIND initiative confirms that monitoring well-being is feasible and appreciated by diabetes professionals without major time or cost burden to the healthcare system. Without this monitoring, patients’ psychosocial needs and associated complications are likely to stay unrecognised and untreated.

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Changing Diabetes^® Leadership Forums aim to bring about change with Novo Nordisk in the role of facilitator, partner, and knowledge resource. By mobilising patient groups and the expert community, the Forums work to move diabetes up the public health agenda. They aim to encourage payers, policy-makers, media, and other parties (employers, industry, trade unions) to take action and drive change through discussion of national diabetes strategies, prevention, early detection, access to care, and improved quality of care. Participants explore ways to develop sustainable health policies and design health systems that generate better outcomes for people with diabetes. So far, Novo Nordisk has organised or sponsored 25 national forums or roundtables in 15 countries.

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Novo Nordisk builds global partnerships around a shared vision of changing diabetes and implementing the UN Resolution on Diabetes.

With the adoption of a UN Resolution on diabetes in 2006, the annual World Diabetes Day on 14 November has become UN observed. The goal is to raise awareness and increase fundraising to help aid developing countries with ways to continue sustainable care for people with diabetes. On World Diabetes Day 2009, more than 315,000 people in 56 countries engaged in a myriad of Novo Nordisk-sponsored activities, including fundraisers and educational programmes. As an Official World Diabetes Day partner to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Novo Nordisk is building on this momentum to reach out to even more people throughout the world to raise awareness and promote change in diabetes.

By engaging with governments, policy-makers, healthcare organisations, healthcare professionals, people with diabetes, patient associations, private enterprises, the media, and nongovernmental organisations, we stage a global campaign to drive awareness of the personal and societal risks of diabetes.

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