February 28, 2023

Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, leading BNP Paribas Cardif to take concrete action to help mitigate complications and risks linked to overweight and obesity. Since 2021 the insurer has rolled out an international strategy around two essential pillars: 

•    Funding for research in conjunction with an international group of physicians and nutrition researchers; 
•    Support for a number of non-profit organizations specialized in overweight and obesity prevention strategies targeting very young children around the world. 


In 2020, some 71 million children worldwide between the ages of five and nine – 11% of the children in this age bracket – fell into the category of overweight or obesity1 . What’s more, according to INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research2 , nearly half of French adults can be considered obese or overweight. The Covid-19 pandemic revealed that people who are overweight or obese are at higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease, strengthening BNP Paribas Cardif’s conviction that it is important to take urgent action. Beyond Covid-19, obesity is an aggravating factor in many other diseases, resulting in over five million premature deaths each year3.


 


A strategic focus on research and prevention

To improve the detection and prevention of obesity, BNP Paribas Cardif is centering its efforts on support for scientific research. Under the aegis of the University Hospital of Rouen and the Fondation Charles Nicolle Normandie4  in France, this partnership is led by Professor Pierre Déchelotte, a physician and internationally recognized nutrition expert.  

Support from BNP Paribas Cardif also includes funding for research in Europe and Latin America on detection and prevention of obesity risk factors, notably eating disorders. BNP Paribas Cardif and a scientific committee headed by Professor Déchelotte will coordinate different actions to improve detection and prevention of obesity.
 

Partnerships with numerous nonprofits around the world to support children and families

In France, BNP Paribas Cardif is providing support for La Tablée des Chefs, which designs culinary education and healthy eating programs for primary and secondary schoolchildren in priority education districts in France, as well as children’s social services centres. During the 2022 school year, some fifty BNP Paribas Cardif employees volunteered to lead workshops in these establishments. Thanks to this outreach initiative more than 9,000 young people learned more about this issue through in-person engagement as well as social networks, and 2,000 children and families benefited from direct support at social services centres. 

In Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru), the insurer has  developed a partnership with UNICEF , the United Nations Children's Fund, to fund research, prevention and education programs targeting overweight and obesity in young children. Thanks to support from BNP Paribas Cardif, UNICEF5 established in 2022 prevention activities for more than 50,000 children and adolescents, along with their families and communities. This program will continue to expand its reach to a larger number of children throughout 2023.    

In Spain and Portugal, BNP Paribas Cardif has teamed with the Gasol Foundation, which works to reduce child obesity by promoting healthy eating habits among children and their families and giving young people opportunities to thrive.  In 2022, awareness initiatives reached 50,000 people, including 5,000 children and families who received direct support. 

The insurer also partners with several associations elsewhere in Europe, in Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy. Through this support BNP Paribas Cardif is developing preventive approaches to obesity, placing priority on concrete, real-world solutions to address the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity.  

BNP Paribas Cardif’s program to help prevent overweight and obesity and the engagement of its volunteer staff led to greater awareness for a total of 1.2 million people in 12 countries in 2022. This includes some 500,000 children and families who benefited from personalized counselling and support. 

 

1 Source: World Obesity Atlas 2022
2 https://www.inserm.fr/
3  Source: WORLD IN DATA
4 A foundation recognized as serving the public interest, the Fondation Charles Nicolle Normandie enables the University Hospital of Rouen and other hospitals in the region to receive donations and subsidies for the purchase of innovative equipment, medical research, as well as public health prevention and training.
5  Unicef does not support any company, brand, product or services.


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