Merck's Consumer Health Leads Debate on Preparing Gen Z for 100 Healthy Years

PR70814

DARMSTADT, Germany, Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

- 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.

- The Consumer Health business of Merck, a leading science and technology

  company, released today a new whitepaper.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/596157/Merck_100_Years.jpg)

http://www.merckgroup.com/en/expertise/consumer-health/our-consumer-health-debate/white-paper.html]

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 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, and which aims at

raising awareness on the importance of health programs and education in South

Africa school's 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.

Key element of this program is quantitative measurement to be able to evaluate

the mid- and long-term effects and impact of such educational awareness program.

The white paper released today is a part of Merck Consumer Health's WE100(R)

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(R), Bion(R),

Nasivin(R), Seven Seas(R), Dolo-Neurobion(R), and Femibion(R) 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 euros 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.

Contact: Lars Atorf, +49-6151-856-3114

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SOURCE: Merck