We know the individual amount of exercise starts to decline at an early age and the programme focuses on actions that provide easy to access exercise opportunities to both young and working age citizens, including follow-up to measure the impact and outcomes. Further, the programme is set to increase understanding and awareness of diabetes risk-factors by exploring demographic and regional differences in prevalence, socioeconomic factors and life-styles within the city.

“The Cities for Better Health programme is well aligned to our city strategy; we invest in prevention to support well-being, promote an active life-style and foster public-private partnerships. We look forward to sharing knowledge and experiences in this global network to address some of the biggest global health challenges we face.”

—Niko Kyynäräinen, Director of Economic Development in the city of Turku