EASO is pleased to support the launch of the new Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for obesity care in Ireland, which we believe will have a resounding impact across Europe and around the world. The launch event, taking place today, 25 October 2022, places patients at the centre and focuses on health and quality of life, not the numbers on the scale.
The new guidelines follow the science – moving away from obesity being a ‘lifestyle illness’ or solely defined by weight – to recognising that obesity is a disease defined by health impairment and driven by complex biological, environmental and psychosocial factors.
For more than one million people in Ireland who live with obesity, the new treatment guidelines, which redefine care, can have a substantial impact on their experience within the medical system. The guidelines have been developed and are launched with the support of doctors, patient groups and the HSE, the Irish national health service.
Cathy Breen, Clinical Specialist Dietitian and Chair of The Association for the Study of Obesity on the island of Ireland, (ASOI) who coordinated the Irish guidelines adaptation development, said “ASOI are delighted and honoured to launch the adapted CPGs today. The new guidelines will support delivery of standardised, high-quality, non-stigmatising care within the new Model of Care for obesity in Ireland”.
Susie Birney, Executive Director of ICPO, the Irish Coalition of People Living with Obesity and Secretary of The European Coalition of People Living with Obesity (ECPO), says “The launch of the Irish Obesity Clinical Guidelines is an important moment for advancing recognition and treatment of obesity in Ireland.
ICPO have been right in the heart of the process of guideline development, including writing chapters and key messages and decision making with the Executive Committee of ASOI; this has helped enforce the patient-centred approach of the guidelines themselves. We will be encouraging our patient community to make their healthcare providers aware of the new guidelines, as we all have an important role in ensuring the guidelines are disseminated — and most importantly implemented”.
- Obesity in Adults: A 2022 Adapted Clinical Practice Guideline for Ireland is available online in Obesity Facts, The European Journal of Obesity
- A summary of the guidelines is available on the ASOI website
- Download the Press Release