    
The Changing Diabetes® Bus reached Austria’s capital Vienna on 30 September, during the week of the Annual EASD’s (European Association for the Study of Diabetes) congress. In Vienna, 60.000 people are currently being treated for diabetes and it is estimated that just as many have the condition without knowing it. The Changing Diabetes® Bus and Village event was kicked off with a well-visited press conference on 30 September. Vienna’s City Councillor for Health and Social Affairs Sonja Wehsely opened the conference by stating the importance of addressing the diabetes pandemic. She was followed by specialist in diabetes, professor Bernhard Ludvik and professor Michael Krebs. The singer and entertainer Jazz Gitti, who are living with diabetes, told her personal story and finally corporate vice president in Novo Nordisk, Charlotte Ersbøll outlined Novo Nordisk’s commitment to changing diabetes.
The activities in the four tents outside the bus focused on nutrition, health screenings (blood sugar measurement, BMI, blood pressure and body fat percentage) and children’s activities. 30 September was ‘Nutrition day’ where celebrity TV-chefs, Andi and Alex, prepared healthy meals for the visitors and provided tips and tricks on cooking. 1 October was ‘Women’s day’ where visitors had the opportunity to get a make-up consultation followed by a professional photo shoot. Finally 3-4 October was dedicated to children and activities included workshops teaching children healthy eating habits. During these four days, the staff of the bus and village had more than 10,000 interactions with visitors who either had their blood sugar measured or simply got to learn more about diabetes. The Changing Diabetes Bus and village event was organised in collaboration with the Austrian Diabetes Association (ÖGD) the Austrian Society for Endocrinology and Metabolism (ÖEDG) and ARGE Diabetes.
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