Fitbit and Diabetes NZ Extend Partnership

 

Longstanding partnership aims to educate Kiwis about diabetes and motivate them to take steps to lead healthier lives through initiatives such as the Fitbit MoveMeant Challenge

Building on a successful five-year relationship, Fitbit and Diabetes New Zealand today announced an extension to their multi-year partnership. As a key partner to Diabetes NZ, Fitbit will continue to work with the organisation to drive awareness among Kiwis of how healthy lifestyle habits can help play a critical role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and the management of all types of diabetes.

In New Zealand, close to five percent of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes (predominantly type 2 diabetes), according to the 2020 Social and Economic Cost of Type 2 Diabetes Report.[1] According to the report, Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in young people and is related to obesity. It predicted that the number of people with type 2 diabetes in New Zealand will increase by 70-90 percent within 20 years unless urgent action is taken, suggesting that a focus on prevention is needed to manage New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing health crisis outside of the global pandemic.

An achievement of longstanding partnership is the annual Fitbit MoveMeant Challenge. The marquee event has seen influential Kiwis step up to the challenge, by participating in two weeks of healthy competition aiming to achieve the highest step count, all to raise awareness and funds for Diabetes NZ. Over the past five years the challenge has raised upwards of NZ$263,000 for the cause. Building on the success of previous years, the next Fitbit MoveMeant Challenge will kick off in March 2022.

The last MoveMeant Challenge in March 2020 saw participants enter a Level 4 lockdown on Day 1 of the challenge. Despite this, several high-profile participants, including household names such as Adam Blair, Erin Simpson and the late Sir Eion Edgar, kept up their steps and took part in socially distanced daily walks, raising awareness for the cause.

Heather Verry, Chief Executive at Diabetes NZ, said,

“We know a person’s risk of progressing from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes can be roughly halved if they exercise more and take steps toward leading a healthy lifestyle, and that these changes can also help with the management of diabetes. Wearable brands, like Fitbit, can play an important role to actively encourage Kiwis to make that change.”

Steve Morley, Director of Fitbit Health Solutions International and APAC for Fitbit at Google, said,

“While the pandemic has clearly been top of mind for many of us, diabetes remains one of the most significant health issues that Asia and New Zealand face today, with an estimated 227 million people living with type II diabetes, half of which go undiagnosed[2]. Wearables can help promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, which in turn can have a positive effect on the prevention and management of type II diabetes.”

To find out more about the partnership, or to understand your risk of type 2 diabetes, visit https://www.diabetes.org.nz/.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Diabetes New Zealand

The prevalence of diabetes in New Zealand and the chronic downstream health complications marks diabetes as this country’s most serious long-term health challenge. It is of pandemic proportions. Some 265,000 New Zealanders suffer from diabetes. A further 100,000 people are predicted to have pre-diabetes or are at risk. The incidence of diabetes is unabated with 40 people a day developing diabetes. The personal and social costs are enormous, as is the vast cost to our health system. Together with whānau and family, we estimate that over 1 million people in New Zealand are affected by diabetes – 20% of the nation.

Diabetes New Zealand is the charity that supports people with diabetes to help them live full and active lives. We provide leadership for all New Zealanders in ways that deliver impactful change and convert burdens to the freedom to live healthy, active and fulfilling lives. Empower people with diabetes and their whānau. Peer group networks and Champion and advocate on behalf of people with diabetes to help achieve our vision –Life free of diabetes and all its complications and burdens.

About Fitbit

Fitbit helps people lead healthier, more active lives by empowering them with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals. Fitbit designs products and experiences that track and provide motivation for everyday health and fitness. Fitbit products are carried in approximately 39,000 retail stores and in 100+ countries around the globe. Fitbit’s diverse line of innovative and popular products include Fitbit Sense™, the Fitbit Versa™ family of smartwatches, Fitbit Charge 4™, Fitbit Inspire 2™, Fitbit Luxe™, Fitbit Ace 3™ trackers and Fitbit Aria Air smart scale. The Fitbit platform delivers personalized experiences, insights and guidance through leading software and interactive tools, including the Fitbit app, and Fitbit OS for smartwatches. Fitbit’s paid subscription service, Fitbit Premium, provides advanced analytics and actionable guidance in the Fitbit app to help you reach your health and fitness goals. Fitbit Premium + Health Coaching provides one-on-one virtual coaching with expert health coaches and personalized plans based on your Fitbit data. Fitbit Health Solutions develops health and wellness solutions designed to help increase engagement, improve health outcomes, and drive a positive return for employers, health plans and health systems.

Fitbit and the Fitbit logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fitbit in the U.S. and other countries. Additional Fitbit trademarks can be found www.fitbit.com/legal/trademark-list. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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About Diabetes:

Diabetes is an enduring disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the bloody stream into the cells in the body to produce energy.

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by an auto-immune reaction where the body's defence system attacks the cells that produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin. People of any age can be affected, but it usually develops in children or young adults. People with type 1 diabetes need injections of insulin every day to control the levels of glucose in their blood.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 90% of all cases of diabetes. It can occur at any age and remain undetected for many years. It is often diagnosed following a complication or routine blood test. Often people with type 2 diabetes can initially manage their condition through exercise and diet, however, over time some people will require oral drugs and or insulin. 1 in 4 New Zealanders is estimated to have prediabetes, when the glucose in your blood is higher than normal but not high enough to be deemed diabetes.

Gestational diabetes: This occurs when a pregnant woman has high levels of glucose in her blood. Gestational diabetes is temporary and usually goes after pregnancy. However, a woman who has had gestational diabetes has a 50-60% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

 
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