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Balancing Treatment & Preventing Obesity
Balancing Treatment & Preventing Obesity
The recently launched 10-year National Obesity Strategy from the Australian Government was strongly influenced by community and stakeholder feedback. The most significant change from the draft strategy is to recognise the benefits of treatment for those living with obesity, rather than focussing solely on prevention. Whilst this is an important step forward, more action is needed.
IMAGES
Equity Whitepaper
Our recent white paper ‘Why Weight? Ten opportunities to increase access to bariatric surgery and achieve equity in obesity treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic’ stresses that collaboration is key to effectively reduce the barriers to access treatment for people living with obesity.2
Public Funding Push
Out of 24,000 elective bariatric surgery procedures in 2015, only 950 were publicly funded, according to the Australian & New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society, which notes that ‘many more procedures could be sustainably provided’ via public hospitals.1 The Obesity Collective cites the need for ‘an overarching framework for HCPs, which is evidence-based, person-centred and supports an integrated approach to obesity across the health system’. The group also states that treatment options for people living with obesity should be ‘accessible and affordable’.3
References
1. Australian & New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society and Collaborative Public Bariatric Surgery Taskforce. Public Bariatric Surgery A National
Framework – Executive Summary Document. October 2020. Available: https://anzmoss.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Public-Bariatric-Surgery-Framework_EXECSUM-
ONLY.pdf Accessed May 2022.
2. Gumbie, M. ‘Why Weight? Ten opportunities to increase access to bariatric surgery and achieve equity in obesity treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic’. 2022.
3. Obesity Collective. Submission to PBAC March 2022 consideration of Semaglutide for obesity management. January 2020. Available:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57e9ebb16a4963ef7adfafdb/t/61fb202bf41ea065282c7588/1643847724487/Obesity+Collective+PBAC+submission+v2.pdf Accessed May 2022.
Disclaimer: There are risks with any surgery, such as adverse reactions to medications, problems with anaesthesia, problems breathing, bleeding, blood clots, inadvertent injury to nearby organs and blood vessels, even death. Bariatric surgery has its own risks, including failure to lose weight, nutritional or vitamin deficiencies and weight regain. Patients should consult their doctor to determine whether this procedure is appropriate for their condition. Alternative options to surgery include a healthy energy-controlled diet and physical activity.
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