European Obesity Policy Conference addressing obesity: The key to resilient health systems

In conjunction with World Obesity Day Europe, the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) and The European Coalition for People Living with Obesity (ECPO) are organising the annual European Obesity Policy Conference which will be held online on Thursday, 4 March 2021.

The need to implement an outcomes-based approach to health systems design, availability and uptake has never been so clear over the course of the past year. Health stakeholders at EU, national and regional levels are all facing the realities of how to meet the ongoing challenges of the “New Reality” whilst ensuring the longer-term resilience and sustainability of health systems.

The European Commission’s inaugural Foresight Report and related process has provided a major roadmap for key challenges and opportunities. However, the question of “how can this be meaningfully achieved” remains.

Obesity is one of only two non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to have been highlighted for prioritisation within the European Commission’s Foresight Report. This clearly shows the need to act on obesity as a chronic relapsing disease beyond primary prevention.

World Obesity Day Europe on 4 March 2021 provides an excellent opportunity to discuss implementation pathways and to exchange views

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