Our aim is to promote health and well-being among children and adolescents in Denmark
Centre for Childhood Health is founded as an independent, private association by the the Danish Ministry of Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation and with a common desire to promote health and well-being of children with central stakeholders.
Our vision is that all children should be able to thrive and develop a healthy weight that can be maintained throughout life.
Our overall mission is to contribute significantly to reducing the prevalence of overweight and improving the well-being of children in Denmark.
At the Centre, we build on existing research while testing new methods and finding new approaches to prevention.
Public-private centre with a special position
With the support from the Danish Ministry of Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation over a ten-year period, we have a solid platform to perform thorough prevention work. This is partly due to the unique structure of the Centre. This marks the first public-private collaboration working on this scale with health promotion and prevention for children and adolescents.
On the Centre's board we have representatives from the Danish Ministry of Health, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danish Regions, Local Government Denmark, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Danish Health Authority. This breadth deepens the Centre's knowledge of its field of work and gives it a unique approach to getting preventive interventions to where they are most needed - where the children are: in nurseries, kindergartens and schools or with midwives, health visitors and doctors.
The strategic focus
Centre for Childhood Health focuses on three themes towards 2026:
The mystery of weight
There are still many unknowns when explaining the causes of rising weight curves and poor well-being among children and youth alike. More research is needed to find more causes. For example, social inequality and the impact of the father on the child's health are both underexplored topics.
Ideal municipalities
In collaboration with local councils, civil society, citizens and retailers, the Centre endeavours to change the framework of children and young people's daily lives in a more health-promoting direction. Healthy eating habits, more movement – small and large-scale initiatives that seek to find solutions.
Body culture and weight stigma
You don't choose your body, so how do you create a culture that accepts the bodies we are born with? The Centre will work to remove prejudices and weight stigma, push norms and create more body happiness among children and adolescents.
Centre Organisation
- Management: Director Morten Grønbæk
- Strategic Advisor: Thorkild IA Sørensen
- New knowledge: Head of Research Nina Geiker
- Implementation and competence development: Head of Implementation and Partnerships Teresa Holmberg
- Knowledge Sharing: Head of Communications Marianne Lemvig
- Secretariat: Head of Secretariat Mie Jørgensen