For more than one million people in Ireland who live with obesity, new treatment guidelines that redefine care have been launched with the support of doctors, patient groups and the HSE.
The 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 psycho-social factors.
Patients are set to benefit from a greater focus on a proven and broader range of medical treatments – and a drive to destigmatise the disease both among the public and healthcare professionals.
Ireland’s new Adult Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs ) for obesity treatment are being published today by Association for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland (ASOI ) – working together with the Irish Coalition for People Living with Obesity (ICPO ) and the HSE Obesity National Clinical Programme.
The CPGs are an adaptation of guidelines which Obesity Canada developed and published in 2020 – based on over 550,000 peer-reviewed evidence-informed articles – and are seen as the international benchmark for obesity treatment.
Ireland is leading the way as the first health system in Europe to adapt these Canadian guidelines, and health systems across the globe are expected to follow suit.
A summary of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity Treatment in Ireland can be viewed here: www.asoi.info/guidelines
