Joined the programme in 2020
Through the Cities for Better Health programme, Turin is mapping obesity and type 2 diabetes in the city’s neighbourhoods and promoting socially and culturally appropriate interventions to improve the health of its residents.
The prevalence of diabetes in Turin increased from 3.8% in 2003 to 6.8% in 20181. A quarter of the people between the ages of 18 and 69 are overweight, and 7% are living with obesity.2
The mapping phase of the Cities for Better Health programme in Turin revealed that the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes could be found in the neighbourhoods in the north and west of the city. The lowest prevalence was recorded in the neighbourhoods beyond the Po River in the old town. These differences correlate with variations in socioeconomic status. For example, the research indicated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is 35% higher in those with a lower level of education.
The diabetes challenge in Turin
6.8%
of adults in Turin were living with diabetes in 20181
7%
of adults in Turin are living with obesity2
With the Cities for Better Health programme, Turin wants to promote interventions taking into account socio-economic and cultural aspects to improve the health of its residents.
Promoting physical activity
Turin has many natural advantages as a city with 21 square kilometres of green areas, 320 kilometres of tree-lined avenues, and 207 kilometres of cycle paths. Taking inspiration from Rome, another Italian city in the Cities for Better Health network, Turin has established an itinerary of walking routes through the city’s metropolitan area.
These routes, which cover almost 100km of urban walking paths, are collated in a pocket-sized guide called the Turin Passport. Through this initiative, Cities for Better Health in Turin aims to promote a culture of physical activity in the city.
Training health city managers
As was the case in other Italian cities in the network, Turin also organised a special Health City Manager course with the support of the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani. This course is designed to equip participants with the skills necessary to support local authorities in their efforts to incorporate health into policymaking.
Activating social relations to combat disease
Cities for Better Health in Turin is running a pilot project in Vallette that focuses on activating social relationships to improve health outcomes. Community support can play a vital role in disease prevention through the dissemination of accurate information and the exchange between peers regarding healthy behaviours and choices.
To share accurate diabetes knowledge, a mobile diabetes information booth called the Dirittibus was created to spread information about the condition and to raise awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity.
"At present, the most critical problems can only be understood and solved if an analysis is made of the social, economic and environmental determinants and the risk factors impacting health. The relationship between health, quality of life and the environment is now a topic of central interest for the social, environmental and medical sciences."
— Alessandro Stecco, President of the Health Commission of the Piedmont Region
Download Turin Urban Diabetes Declaration
Turin City Municipality
Turin Metropolitan City
IRES Economic and Social Research Institute
Parliamentary Intergroup on QoL in Cities
Health City Institute
Italian Municipalities Association (ANCI)
IBDO Foundation
University of Turin
Censis Foundation
National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT)
Institute for Competitiveness (I-COM)
Centre for Outcomes Research and Clinical Epidemiology (CORESEARCH)
Medipragma
Italian Diabetes Society (SID)
Italian Diabetologist Association (AMD)
Italian Society of GPs (SIMG) Caped Associations of people with diabetes in Piedmont
Diabete Italia
C14+
Cittadinanzattiva
CONI
FIDAL
Italian Society of Paediatric Endos (SIEDP)
Italian Obesity Association (SIO)
Italian Association of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (ADI)
Fitwalking Association TO Walk LAB
ANIAD
Citta di Torino (2019): La Salute a Torino » Diabete: una gestione integrata all’ASL Torino (comune.torino.it)
L'epidemiologia per la sanità pubblica, Istituto Superiore di Sanità: eccesso ponderale ASL TORINO 2014 2017.pdf (iss.it)
