Research. Education. Action.
We are the leading scientific membership organization advancing the science-based understanding of the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of obesity in order to improve the lives of those affected.
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Research. Education. Action.
We are the leading scientific membership organization advancing the science-based understanding of the causes, consequences, prevention and treatment of obesity in order to improve the lives of those affected.
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2024 Governing Board and Nominations Board Election
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Consensus Statement on Obesity
In 2022, the leading US organizations with a primary focus on obesity came together with the intention of addressing the various roadblocks that they each faced in addressing efforts to improve access to obesity treatment and the reduction of the stigma and bias surrounding this disease. The organizations were: The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, the Obesity Medicine Association, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Stop Obesity Alliance, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. As part of our discussion, we agreed that it would be beneficial to come to a consensus on the definition of obesity. Our discussions led us to develop the consensus statement below to give us a shared starting point for how we talk about obesity, and which is consistent with how we discuss other chronic diseases. As the core organizations that address obesity, we worked together to write this statement and have agreed to use it as the central tenet in our communications around obesity.
Consensus Statement
Obesity is a highly prevalent chronic disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation or distribution that presents a risk to health and requires lifelong care. Virtually every system in the body is affected by obesity. Major chronic diseases associated with obesity include diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The body mass index (weight in kg/height in meters2) is used to screen for obesity, but it does not displace clinical judgement. BMI is not a measure of body fat. Social determinants, race, ethnicity, and age may modify the risk associated with a given BMI.
Bias and stigmatization directed at people with obesity contributes to poor health and impairs treatment.
Every person with obesity should have access to evidence-based treatment.
International Obesity Collaborative
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Moderate to vigorous physical activity early in the day influences weight management, health outcomes
ROCKVILLE, Md.—Even though epidemiological evidence has been controversial regarding the optimal timing of physical activity for weight management, the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. appear to be the most favorable time of day to enhance the association between daily moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity, according to a new analysis published in Obesity, The Obesity Society’s (TOS) flagship journal.
Doctors and Advocates Call for Better Testing and Labeling of Drugs for People with Obesity
TOS past presidents comment on SELECT study results
ROCKVILLE, Md.— New findings show that the medication known as Wegovy® (semaglutide) can reduce existing heart disease in patients with obesity by 20%, according to a study co-authored by past presidents of The Obesity Society (TOS) and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. “The SELECT trial is the first study showing that prescription of an anti-obesity medication in people with overweight or obesity and existing cardiovascular disease can be life-saving,” said co-author and TOS Past President Robert F. Kushner, MD, FTOS, professor, Departments of Medicine and Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill.
Country’s Leading Obesity Care Organizations Develop Consensus Statement on Obesity
Six U.S. organizations dedicated to the prevention and treatment of obesity collaborated to develop a consensus statement on obesity, a complex, chronic disease that impacts nearly 42% of adults and 19% of children and adolescents. This unified effort aims to address the various roadblocks that the organizations face when addressing efforts to improve access to obesity treatment and reduce weight stigma and bias surrounding the disease.