The wearable tech company and leading diabetes charity will work closely together to raise awareness of the importance of a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Focusing on how such a lifestyle can play an important role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and the management of all types of diabetes, the duo will collaborate on a number of initiatives in 2021 and over the following two years. The initiatives will revolve around healthy behaviour change, such as their existing One Million Step Challenge, which encourages participants to move more.
With research suggesting the positive effects of a healthier lifestyle on those at risk of developing diabetes and those diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Nicola Maxwell, EMEA Director of Fitbit Health Solutions, expressed the company’s enthusiasm to work with Diabetes UK “to help raise awareness and motivate Fitbit users to set goals and adopt a healthy lifestyle”.
FitBit will be supporting the One Million Step Challenge, a Diabetes UK initiative that takes place every July with the aim of encouraging people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes to take steps to develop these healthy habits. Other initiatives include recruiting volunteers to share their stories and show how adopting a healthier, more active lifestyle significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or helps to minimise the impact of living with any type of diabetes.
Speaking about the collaboration, Chris Askew, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, stressed that the charity was delighted to partner with Fitbit, explaining that “diabetes is, and always has been, a very serious health issue, a fact that Covid-19 has only further highlighted”. He went on to explain how the partners plan to raise awareness of the seriousness of the disease while actively promoting the importance of physical activity.
Following its acquisition by Google, valued at around £1.6bn and approved by the European Commission in December 2020, FitBit is set to become the leader in the wearble healthtech sector.