This informal CPD article ‘Are health professionals equipped to treat obesity?’ was provided by Alexander French, Head of Education and Capacity Building at the World Obesity Federation, a professional society and health advocacy organisation, representing professional members of the scientific, medical and research communities from over 100 countries globally.
Obesity rates are rising. A recent report by the World Obesity Federation estimates that more than half the global population (51%, or over 4 billion people) will be living with either overweight or obesity by 2035 if current trends prevail, and that 1 in 4 (nearly 2 billion) will have obesity.1 This should concern us all: it is proven that obesity can directly lead to increased mortality, as well as contribute to higher risks for various associated conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, sleep disorders and some cancers.
What is the current obesity guidance for health professionals?
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) published recommendations on how governments around the world can prevent and manage obesity throughout the life course. Among these, the WHO recommended that governments “Ensure that a sufficient number of health care professionals are adequately trained on obesity prevention and management through pre-service and post-service education.”2 In other words, it’s essential that doctors, nurses and other health professionals are trained in how to prevent and treat obesity, both before entering practice and as part of their continuing education.
Yet most training received by health professionals is woefully inadequate in this regard. The majority of medical schools do not include nutrition and obesity management as part of a required curriculum, and education devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of obesity is not readily available for most health professionals.
As such, health professionals are often unprepared to appropriately address patients' care with regard to nutrition and obesity management. This is borne out by academic studies: a systematic review in 2020 found that “there is currently a paucity of obesity education programs for medical students, residents, and fellow physicians in training programs throughout the world.”3 In an earlier study, 48% of research participants (internists, paediatricians and psychiatrists) were found to be unable to adequately counsel patients about common treatment options for obesity.4