Initiative for Cardiovascular Health With The Unblocked Movement Pushed by Novartis, Partners

• Now in its second year, the Unblocked APMA Challenge, a month-long regional activity held recently, seeks to inspire thousands of Novartis associates in over 30 markets to take action towards better heart health for themselves, their family and friends.
• Associates at Novartis Malaysia covered 4,035 kilometres, spent approximately 2098 hours engaging in activities ranging from strength training to yoga, and burnt a collective 715,063 calories

Petaling Jaya, 30 July 2024 – Since its establishment in 2023, the Unblocked Movement, which was co-created by Novartis and its healthcare ecosystem partners, has worked to promote better heart health in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMA) to help tackle the number one killer in the region: Cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Movement continues gaining momentum through local and regional initiatives and educational efforts to remove barriers to heart health for millions of people. 

Driving behavioral change in employees for better heart health

As part of the Unblocked Movement, Novartis kicked off its 2024 Unblocked APMA Challenge, a friendly competition to engage Novartis employees across the APMA region to prioritize their heart health through physical activities and healthy living. 

Now in its second year, the Challenge recently unfolded as a month-long regional initiative. More than 2,000 Novartis associates have taken on the Challengeto promote an active, healthy lifestyle, using a social fitness app called GoJoe to track their physical activity. They are also encouraged to share the importance of heart health with their family, friends and broader network.

The Unblocked Movement

Last year, the Challenge saw more than 1,500 employee participation, with 260 teams formed and over 45,000 physical activities recorded during the four-week period. 

Mohamed Elwakil, Country President of Malaysia and Brunei stressed the importance of Unblocked Movement to create awareness and reduce CVD: 

CVD remains the leading cause of mortality in the country with Malaysians experiencing CVD about 10 years younger compared to people in advanced countries. As an organization that is committed to improving and extending the lives of over 32 million Malaysians, Novartis Malaysia aims to increase awareness around factors that promote heart health. 

During last year’s Unblocked Challenge, we also screened 231 associates for cholesterol as high LDL-c is an often overlooked risk factor in developing CVD. 

It is heartening to see that has led to the promotion of a healthier lifestyle amongst our associates. During this year’s challenge, in just 4 weeks, our associates had covered 4,035 kilometers, burned 715,063 calories and spent 2,098 hours exercising. We hope that their efforts will inspire others to take charge of their heart health as well. 

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