PruHealth and PruProtect have launched the Vitality Institute, an international healthcare think tank aiming to motivate healthier and longer lives while reducing costs related to managing and treating chronic conditions.
Vitality Institute aims to start a global debate on the power of prevention as a sustainable solution to the personal, social and economic burden of chronic disease.
It will focus on finding new, evidence-based solutions aimed at motivating people to adopt healthy behaviours to improve quality of life, reduce associated mortality rates, and increase workers' productivity.
The think tank will include thought leaders from across the worlds of academia, business, NGOs and government.
Neville Koopowitz, CEO of PruHealth said: "We have evidence that we can reverse negative chronic disease health trends, by motivating and rewarding healthy behaviours.
"Our best success has built on the data and experience from public health, academia, entrepreneurs and private enterprise.
"The Vitality Institute is the natural next step to build on the learning already derived from our Vitality wellness programme."
In addition to gathering experts from around the world, the Vitality Institute will conduct research and identify evidence that will allow it to put in place programmes to pre-empt disease, with a particular focus on obesity and diabetes, tobacco use and mental health.
Derek Yach, senior vice president of The Vitality Group, and executive director of the Vitality Institute said: "As a global society, we have made much progress in disease intervention. Proof of this is that people are living longer.
"It is now time to rally across sectors to model that systemized approach to drive change in health promotion that leads to preventing disease and driving improved outcomes and reduced costs for individuals, businesses and society."
