- New whitepaper from Consumer Health
business shines light on preparing
the young generation for living 100 healthy
years
- Whitepaper focuses on the importance to
adopt good health habits early on to prevent
chronic conditions later in life
- Addressing the challenges ahead requires collective
efforts among all stakeholders
(Photo:
http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/596157/Merck_100_Years.jpg )
DARMSTADT, Germany,
Nov. 7, 2017 /CNW/ - The Consumer
Health business of Merck, a leading science and technology company,
released today a new whitepaper entitled "100 Healthy Years - Are
Kids Prepared?" aimed at shining light on preparing the young
generation for a new era of 100 healthy years. The publication
follows the 2017 edition of Merck's Consumer Health "Global
Consumer Health Debate", which gathered experts from the UN,
UNICEF, UNAIDS, the World Obesity Federation, McKinsey and others
to discuss how best to prepare kids for living 100 healthy years.
The new whitepaper published today highlights the importance of
adopting good health habits early on to ensure any additional years
of life expectancy are lived healthy.
Uta Kemmerich-Keil, CEO and
President of Merck's Consumer Health business, explains: "As the
number of people aged 60 or above is expected to grow 56% between
2015 and 2030 - from 901 million to 1.4 billion - this whitepaper
highlights the importance to focus on today's children's health to
address society's changing demographic and ensure today's kids
approach older age in good health." While life expectancy is
increasing worldwide, the 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study
reports that non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease account for
seven out of ten deaths worldwide[1]. In addition, the
World Obesity Federation reports that over 223 million school
children globally are overweight or obese and that this number is
expected to reach 268 million by 2025[2].
This means those additional years of life expectancy could be
lived in a disease state, showing the importance of healthy life
expectancy as a KPI, i.e. the number of years an individual is
expected to live in good health and free of long-term disability.
While biological factors play a significant role in determining
healthy life expectancy, non-biological factors, such as
behavioral, economic, social, environmental, and cultural
conditions, can be influenced and are equally important in
determining lifelong health.
To participate in global efforts to address this situation,
Merck's Consumer Health new whitepaper advocates for renewed
collaboration between the main stakeholders, including educators,
parents, policy makers, healthcare practitioners, and NGOs, to
develop health education programs for school-aged children taking
into account the prospective of living 100 healthy years. With
support from research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit
in five countries, Merck's Consumer Health whitepaper provides a
holistic view of the state of play of children's health today. It
also takes a deep dive into healthy life expectancy, exploring
health education programs in various countries, and providing a
roadmap for achieving optimal outcomes for children's health over
the long-term.
The white paper also features a case study of the
GEN100[TM] program
recently rolled out by Merck's Consumer Health in South Africa, which aims at raising awareness
on the importance of health programs and education in South Africa's school curriculum. Given the
country's current health challenges, such as malnutrition,
HIV/AIDS, and infectious diseases, it is vital to inform the
younger generation to adopt healthy habits early on. The
GEN100[TM] program
convenes public and private partners, including Merck's Consumer
Health and the South African Ministry of Basic Education, to teach
children how to live longer and healthier lives.
GEN100[TM] is
currently operating in more than 40 schools and touches upon
nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and physical exercise topics. A key
element of this program is quantitative measurement to be able to
evaluate the mid- and long-term effects and impact of such
an educational awareness program.
The white paper released today is a part of Merck Consumer
Health's WE100® movement, which aims to help prepare
society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy years.
WE100® is a brand neutral initiative supporting all
generations and cultural backgrounds globally.
- Merck's Consumer Health new whitepaper "100 Healthy Years - Are
Kids Prepared?" can be accessed
[http://www.merckgroup.com/en/expertise/consumer-health/our-consumer-health-debate/white-paper.html].
- Merck's Global Consumer Health Debate entitled "100 Healthy
Years: Are Kids Prepared?" took place in Darmstadt, Germany, on Thursday,
May 18, 2017.
- Further information, including the EIU study, is available at
http://www.merck-consumer-health.com/en/industry/industry.html.
- The global reach of the EIU study conducted research in the
following countries: Brazil,
Germany, India, Saudi
Arabia, and South
Africa.
- Merck Consumer Health on Twitter:@Merck_CH /
https://twitter.com/merck_ch
- WE100 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WE100/
About the Consumer Health business of Merck
Brands of the Consumer Health business, such as
Neurobion®, Bion®, Nasivin®, Seven
Seas®, Dolo-Neurobion®, and
Femibion® are innovative leaders in key markets, backed
by science and trusted by consumers worldwide. The Consumer Health
business is with over 3,800 employees globally active in over 40
markets. The portfolio comprises of brands with annual total sales
of about $ 1 billion. Consumer Health
is a business of the Healthcare business sector within the Merck
Group with global headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany.
For more information please go to
http://www.merck-consumer-health.com or
https://twitter.com/merck_ch.
All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same
time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to
http://www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your
selection or discontinue this service.
About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare,
life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees
work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life
- from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple
sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and
production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions.
In 2016, Merck generated sales of € 15.0 billion in 66
countries.
Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and
chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of
the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights
to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD
Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.
References:
1. "7 out of 10 people die globally of non-communicable diseases."
British Heart Foundation, October
2016,
https://www.bhf.org.uk/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2016/october/7-out-of-10-people-die-globally-of-non-communicable-diseases.
2. "World obesity day infographic." World Obesity Federation, 2016,
http://www.obesityday.worldobesity.org/infographics .
(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/596180/MERCK_Logo.jpg
)
SOURCE Merck