Why Redefining Obesity Matters for Public Health

Why Redefining Obesity Matters for Public Health: Insights from The Lancet Commission?

Obesity has traditionally been framed as a condition defined by a high body mass index (BMI). However, a ground-breaking report by?The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission?shifts the narrative, redefining obesity as a chronic and systemic illness that directly impacts organ function and overall health. This reframing has profound implications for public health actors.?

A New Lens for Understanding Obesity?

The commission emphasizes that obesity is not merely a precursor to other diseases but a distinct medical condition requiring targeted interventions. This perspective equips public health professionals with a more accurate framework to address obesity, ensuring policies and programs are evidence-based and tailored to the complexities of the condition.?

Key Takeaways for Public Health Actors?

1. Beyond BMI: The report highlights the limitations of using BMI alone as a measure of health. Public health initiatives should incorporate additional indicators, such as waist-to-hip ratios and direct measures of body fat, to better assess population health.?

1. Stages of Obesity: Recognizing the distinction between preclinical and clinical obesity allows for early interventions, potentially preventing severe complications. Public health campaigns can focus on proactive measures to reduce the transition from preclinical to clinical obesity.?

1. Addressing Stigma: The report stresses the harm caused by weight-related stigma, which often deters individuals from seeking care. Public health actors can lead efforts to shift societal attitudes, promoting empathy and science-based approaches in both messaging and practice.?

1. Equitable Access to Care: Framing obesity as a chronic illness underscores the need for accessible, evidence-based treatments. Policymakers and healthcare systems must ensure that resources are distributed equitably, especially in underserved communities disproportionately affected by obesity.?

Driving Policy and Prevention?

This redefinition calls for a comprehensive public health strategy that integrates prevention, treatment, and education. Public health actors are pivotal in:?

• Advocacy: Informing policy decisions to prioritize obesity treatment and prevention.?

• Education: Disseminating accurate information about the multifactorial causes of obesity.?

• Collaboration: Partnering with healthcare providers, schools, and community organizations to implement targeted interventions.?

By embracing this nuanced understanding of obesity, public health actors can better address one of the most pressing health challenges of our time, improving outcomes and reducing the burden on individuals and healthcare systems alike.?

Addressing obesity and unemployment: real people, real impact?

C3 has long recognised the need to address obesity as a complex and systemic illness, requiring prevention and understanding. As such, C3 partnered with 15 organisations to deliver ASPIRE (Adding to Social capital and Individual Potential In disadvantaged REgions) — an EU funded project addressing poor health and unemployment in England and France through a holistic approach to diet, physical activity, and employment support.??

Excitingly, a report by ASPIRE has shown real impact from the work we did. 61% of participants of ASPIRE lost weight, with 4.2% moving from obese to non-obese and 16% moving from overweight to healthy weight and 80% improved their employability. Learn more about the success of ASPIRE in the evaluation report.??

A guide to addressing obesity and employment:?

As well as delivering CHESS? (Community Health Engagement Survey Solutions) to develop community action plans for change in the seven towns chosen for ASPIRE, C3 partnered with ViF to create the ASPIRE practical guide. The guide helps employers better understand and prevent weight-based stigma, both in the recruitment process and within the workplace itself and covers six topics:?

• Obesity and health: being aware of generalisations?

• Overweight, obesity and physical ability?

• Personality traits: judgements and assumptions?

• Encouraging diversity within teams: an asset for organisations?

• Progression and promotion opportunities: including employees living with obesity and overweight?

• Experiencing or observing weight-based stigmatisation or discrimination: how to take action.?

With the recent Getting Britain Working Again white paper from the Labour government recognising the economic as well as social and personal impact of chronic ill health it is more important than other to ensure that approaches to addressing obesity focus on prevention, advocacy and collaboration across sectors and communities to lessen the burden on individuals.??

Ref: Rubino, F., Cummings, D. E., Eckel, R. H., et al. ‘Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity’.?The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission. Published online 14 January 2025. Available at:?https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00316-4?(Accessed: [18/01/2025).?