Thursday, October 15, 2026

Rheumaliga Switzerland presented its first national osteoporosis awareness campaign for World Arthritis Day on 12 October 2026. The initiative focuses on encouraging people aged 50 and over to engage earlier with their bone health.

The organisation is addressing what it describes as a significant care gap in Switzerland. According to Rheumaliga Switzerland, from the age of 50 every second woman and every fifth man will experience a fracture related to osteoporosis during their lifetime. The organisation also cites International Osteoporosis Foundation figures indicating that around 684,000 women in Switzerland live with untreated osteoporosis. Comparable data on undertreatment among men is not available.

Everyday settings instead of medical imagery

The campaign avoids conventional clinical imagery and uses familiar everyday scenes. A bathroom and a bus stop, for example, are shown padded with soft materials such as bubble wrap and cotton wool. The underlying message is that a padded environment cannot provide lasting protection against fractures. Stronger bones and earlier risk awareness are the more relevant focus.

The campaign was developed with TBWA\Zurich. It runs initially from World Arthritis Day to World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October and will continue in 2026/2027. It will be distributed across Switzerland in German, French and Italian through Rheumaliga channels, awareness placements in public spaces and the networks of partner and member organisations.

Digital risk check at the centre

A digital osteoporosis risk check is the key tool in the campaign. It is aimed particularly at people aged 50 and over and is designed to provide an initial assessment of personal bone health in about 12 minutes. Users answer 20 questions covering lifestyle, hormonal changes, previous fractures, medication and other health-related factors.

Rheumaliga Switzerland stresses that the tool does not replace a medical diagnosis. Its purpose is to help users understand potential risk factors and, where appropriate, start a conversation with a physician. The risk check was reviewed by a medical expert panel with representatives from the Swiss Society for Rheumatology, the Swiss Association against Osteoporosis and the Swiss Osteoporosis Registry Association.

Relevance for healthcare communications

For healthcare marketers and communicators, the initiative illustrates how prevention and early detection can be framed in a low-threshold way for a chronic disease. Instead of relying on disease imagery or fear-based motifs, the campaign translates fracture risk into everyday situations. This positions osteoporosis not only as a medical issue but also as a public awareness and care pathway topic.

The campaign is part of a broader Rheumaliga offering. Related services include a calcium calculator, podcast episodes, exercise courses such as Osteogym, free advice from healthcare professionals, home training videos and information materials on osteoporosis. Rheumaliga Switzerland describes itself as a national specialist centre and the umbrella organisation for 16 cantonal rheumatism leagues and six national patient organisations.