EUROPE
Naples
Joined the programme in 2021
With more than three million inhabitants, Naples is the third metropolitan city in Italy by population, with a total of 92 municipalities. The Cities for Better Health coalition has set out to address the high incidence of diabetes and obesity to improve health in the city.
The challenge in Naples
Among the Italian metropolitan areas, Naples is one of the most complex given its high population density creating a strong demographic imbalance which impacts health and quality of life.
More than 200,000 people with diabetes live in the metropolitan city of Naples, accounting for 6.7 % of the Italian population. The mortality rate from diabetes accounts to 4.9 deaths per 10,000 inhabitants.
Key facts and figures
>200k
people with diabetes live in the metropolitan city of Naples
4.9
deaths per 10,000 inhabitants is the mortality rate from diabetes.
About the programme
The Cities for Better Health programme in Naples has two main focus areas:
The first is to collect new data to map the obesity and type 2 diabetes challenge in the city and present it to all the Cities for Better Health partners. Childhood obesity in the Campania region is for example known to be one of the highest in Italy but more data is needed to better understand the challenge.
The second is to develop an obesity screening programme involving patients from a group of general practitioners operating in the city.
“We strongly adhere as a municipal administration to the international Cities for Better Health programme: we are aware that a collective response is needed to the alarming increase in diabetes in urban environments. From this point of view, local authorities can make practical efforts in the long and short term. In fact, we are already working to make our city more livable and sustainable: health is a common good and we have a duty to protect it, the last two years have shown this.”
— Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples.
