Fitbit and Diabetes UK announce three-year partnership

Fitbit and Diabetes UK have announced a three-year partnership which aims to educate on the importance of leading a healthier and more active lifestyle.

The pair will work together to promote how such a lifestyle can play a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and management of all types of diabetes.

As part of this partnership, the organisations will collaborate on a series of initiatives throughout 2021 and the coming years to encourage healthy behaviour change, including the One Million Step Challenge, to encourage participants to move more.

Nicola Maxwell, director of Fitbit Health Solutions in EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa], said: “With most research illustrating the positive effect a healthy lifestyle can have on people at risk of developing diabetes and individuals with a type 1 and type 2 diagnosis, we are proud to work together with Diabetes UK to help raise awareness and help motivate Fitbit users to set goals and adopt healthy lifestyle changes.”

To encourage those who are currently living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes to take action to build these types of healthy habits, Fitbit will support the One Million Step Challenge which takes place in July.

The partnership will also recruit volunteers to share their stories and showcase how adopting a healthier and more active lifestyle can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or help minimise the impact of living with any type of diabetes.

Chris Askew, chief executive at Diabetes UK, added: “We’re really pleased to announce the launch today of a new partnership between Diabetes UK and Fitbit. Diabetes is, and always has been, a very serious health condition; a fact which has only been highlighted further by Covid-19.

“We hope, together with Fitbit, that this partnership will help raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and will emphasise the importance of physical activity – both in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and in good management of all types of diabetes.”

The partnership follows technology giant Google acquiring FitBit, in a deal worth approximately £1.6billion. The deal was given the green light by the European Commission in December 2020.

We are the hosts of Digital Health Rewired 2021, the must-attend virtual festival celebrating the best of digital health and care, taking place across 15-19 March 2021. Get a flavour of Rewired 2021 from the video below. You can book your place here