World Obesity Day: Acting together to prevent and tackle obesity

Taking action to prevent obesity: the commitment of BNP Paribas Cardif and its partners

Obesity is now widely recognized as a global pandemic and represents one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Each year, it is associated with nearly 4 million deaths due to its links with numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, certain cancers and cardiovascular conditions. If no action is taken, almost 50% of the world’s population could be living with overweight or obesity by 2030. 

Yet obesity can be prevented through education and science. BNP Paribas Cardif launched its Obesity Prevention Program in 2021, supporting scientific research as well as a wide range of health education initiatives. Since its launch, the program has directly raised awareness among more than one million people, thanks to the commitment of nearly 1,000 employees working alongside partner organizations.

On World Obesity Day, March 4, several partner NGOs carried out concrete initiatives to raise awareness among young people and local communities about the importance of balanced nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

In France – La Tablée des Chefs: raising awareness through cooking classes

« Let food be thy medicine. » — Hippocrate

Through its program Les Brigades Culinaires, the non-profit organization La Tablée des Chefs works with the middle schools to raise adolescents’ awareness of the importance of balanced nutrition. Through hands-on workshops, students learn how to cook, understand the fundamentals of nutrition and decode food-related messages, helping them develop healthy and sustainable habits.

On this World Obesity Day, the organization highlighted the importance of education and its partnership with our company in preventing obesity. The program’s health content was developed in collaboration with BNP Paribas Cardif teams and Professor Pierre Déchelotte (Rouen Unversity Hospital), ensuring information that is both scientifically rigorous and evidence-based.

These initiatives help give people the tools to make informed food choices that support their health. Read the full article (available in French only) : World Obesity Day: acting from adolescence to reduce health inequalities.

Our partner NGO in Italy – Fare x Bene: supported by BNP Paribas Cardif and Findomestic employees

In Italy, the non-profit organization Fare x Bene organized several awareness initiatives in schools as part of the Lovvati program (webinars and interactive workshops), in collaboration with BNP Paribas Cardif teams and, more recently, Findomestic.

On March 3 and 4, training sessions and program presentations were held in several schools, notably in Florence with the support of Findomestic, Milan, Palermo and Reggio Calabria. These initiatives were also carried out in partnership with the Regional School Offices of Lombardy and Calabria, with the aim of raising students’ awareness of the importance of balanced nutrition and healthy lifestyle. (See the LinkedIn post)

Employees from BNP Paribas Cardif and Findomestic also took part in these activities, illustrating the importance of collective engagement in promoting prevention.

Our partner organization, the World Obesity Federation, coordinates and drives this global initiative under the theme “Eight billion reasons to act against obesity”. The federation provides communication toolkits and ressources to support organizations and stakeholders worldwide in raising awareness: