Symposium: The Diabesity Crisis

Healthier Lives National Science Challenge hosted a national research symposium on diabetes and obesity in Auckland on 17 March, 2017.

Co-hosted with A Better Start National Science Challenge and Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, The Diabesity Crisis: how can we make a difference? symposium brought together national and international experts in diabetes and obesity research, focusing on how preventive actions and treatments can make a difference to the rising tide of diabetes and obesity in New Zealand.

Featuring a programme of top speakers the videos are now available to view below.

View the Diabesity Crisis presentations in our video album (YouTube, 13 videos of between 13 and 50 minutes)

To view the list of videos please select the playlist icon at the top left of the embedded video player.

Evidence for making a real difference

New Zealand is facing a rising tide of diabesity. Our rates of diabetes and obesity are amongst the highest in the world. The problem is starting in early life and leading to increased levels of disability in mid- and later-life. There is a significant and growing cost in both human and economic terms and we urgently need solutions for individuals and communities.

Many interventions have been tried but not all have proved successful. This symposium focused on the evidence about what will make a real difference, across a spectrum covering public health measures, social inequalities, better understanding of genetic predisposition, lifestyle changes and surgical options.

More about the Diabesity Crisis:

Kim Hill interviews Professor Rachel Batterham about bariatric surgery

Read a summary of The Diabesity Crisis symposium on Public Health Expert, a University of Otago blog

The Diabesity Crisis, The New Zealand Medical Journal (2017) 130:1459

Related event

The ‘cost’ of sugar forum was held at Auckland City Hospital on Thursday 16 March, 7pm-9pm. Renowned broadcaster, Kim Hill, chaired an expert panel and took questions from the audience to tease out what we really know about this complex and controversial topic.

The ‘cost’ of sugar forum revisted

The diabesity crisis symposium hosts

The hosts are three leading research groups that share a common interest in tackling the health problems New Zealand is facing as a result of increasing levels of obesity and diabetes.

A Better Start National Science Challenge has a focus on finding better ways to predict, prevent and treat obesity in children and teenagers.

The Healthier Lives National Science Challenge aims to reduce levels of diabetes and obesity in adults in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.

The Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre has been working to reduce the global burden of these diseases through research and dissemination of knowledge for the past decade.

We are delighted to collaborate with each other in order to bring cutting edge national and international research findings to a wide audience in New Zealand.

Originally published 13 April 2017.