Partnership with the Danish Cancer Society aims to make it easier for children and young people to live healthy lives

The new partnership will focus on the structural conditions that influence children’s health – such as advertising, store design, access to physical activity, the availability of healthy food and drinks in the environments where children spend their everyday lives, and social inequality.

The core idea is that children should not bear the responsibility for living a healthy life on their own; instead, society should make it easier to make healthy choices regardless of background.

The partnership consists of the Danish Cancer Society and the Centre for Childhood Health.

Background

When Danish children, for example, consume more sweets than dietary guidelines recommend, it may be due to the fact that sugary products are easily accessible, inexpensive, and heavily promoted through advertising and other forms of influence. This is what we refer to as structural conditions or environments.

The partnership will analyse which structural factors most affect the health of children and young people, which interventions can change these factors, and which interventions are likely to have the greatest impact.
This includes not only diet, but also opportunities for physical activity, access to social communities, and more.

In essence, the aim is to give children and young people in Denmark the best possible conditions to grow up in environments that support their health and well-being.

Partnership name: 

Partnership for Structural Initiatives for Preventing Childhood Obesity