Centre for Childhood Health
Centre for Childhood Health works to ensure that all children in Denmark grow up in good health and well-being while developing and maintaining a healthy weight.
Promoting Health and Well-being Among Children and Adolescents in Denmark
Centre for Childhood Health works to ensure that all children in Denmark grow up in good health and well-being while developing and maintaining a healthy weight. Founded as an independent, private association by the Danish Ministry of Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Centre collaborates with key stakeholders to promote children’s health and well-being.
The vision of the centre is that all children should thrive and develop a healthy weight that can be maintained throughout life. The mission is to significantly reduce the prevalence of overweight and improve the well-being of children in Denmark.
The Centre builds on existing research while testing new methods and developing innovative approaches to prevention.
Strategic Focus Areas
Towards 2027, the Centre will focus on two strategic themes:
- Generating New Knowledge: Many factors behind increasing weight trends and declining well-being among children remain unknown. More research is needed, particularly on topics such as social inequality and the role of fathers in children’s health.
- Driving Change Through Partnerships: In collaboration with municipalities, civil society, families, and businesses, the Centre works to create healthier everyday environments for children—promoting nutritious eating, physical activity, and scalable health-promoting initiatives.
A Unique Public-Private Collaboration
With long-term support from the Danish Ministry of Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Centre has a strong foundation for impactful prevention efforts. This is the first large-scale public-private collaboration in Denmark dedicated to health promotion and prevention for children and adolescents.
The Centre’s board includes representatives from the Danish Ministry of Health, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danish Regions, Local Government Denmark, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, and the Danish Health Authority. This broad representation strengthens the Centre’s expertise and ensures that preventive interventions reach the environments where children spend their daily lives—nurseries, kindergartens, schools, and healthcare settings.
Facts
Novo Nordisk Foundation:
€134 million / DKK 1 billion
Danish Government:
€13,4 million / DKK 100 Million
Key Activities:
• New knowledge
Create the basis for effective policies, initiatives, and knowledge-based changes through interdisciplinary research and development.
• Knowledge-based change and implementation
Create changes through research-based testing of scalable models for health promotion, prevention, and treatment.
• Competence development
Create education and courses to secure dissemination of evidence-based knowledge and competencies for professionals and volunteers working with children and their families.
• Knowledge sharing
Collect and disseminate evidence-based knowledge within Denmark and internationally.