The treatment of obesity – Current trends and future perspectives

Overview

The prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in both developed and developing countries. In the Czech Republic one in five adults is obese and more than 50 % of the adult population are overweight. Obesity needs to be treated within the health care system like any other complex disease – with empathy and without prejudice. Treatment options for obesity management include low energy diets, increased physical activity, cognitive behavioural modification of lifestyle, drug treatment and bariatric surgery. Both physician and patient should be aware that obesity treatment is usually a lifelong task. They should also set realistic goals before starting the treatment considering that even modest weight loss of 5–15 % significantly reduces obesity related health risks. Special attention should be paid to weight loss maintenance. Amultilevel obesity management network of mutually collaborating facilities should be established in order to provide individually tailored treatment. Centres of excellence in obesity management, represented by multidisciplinary teams, should provide comprehensive programmes for the treatment of obesity derived from evidence based medicine. In order to implement an effective obesity management programme, education about obesity for physicians and related health care professionals should be extended. The authors have mapped the current situation in obesity management including numerous barriers, and future perspectives in relation to European initiatives.

Key words:
obesity prevalence, obesity treatment, comprehensive obesity management programme, multilevel obesity management network, education about obesity.