Led by the World Obesity Federation, World Obesity Day is held every year on 4th March to advocate for global improvements in the understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity, and to amplify and share the lived experiences of people living with obesity.  

This year’s theme is ‘Changing Systems Healthier Lives’, putting onus on the systems that directly influence the drivers of obesity and related chronic diseases to act, including our healthcare services, governments, food systems, media, and our workplaces and communities. 

We would like to share articles, collections, and content selected by our publishers that supports this objective, aligning with our commitment to support and amplify the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages", and the related key targets.   

Collections 

Scientific Reports are currently welcoming submissions to collections on Childhood obesity and Obesity and medical management, encouraging research that improves our medical understanding of obesity and the ability of our health services to provide care. 

A collection at BMC Medicine on food environments and health places focus on how policies, regulations, and marketing impact the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods, and how individual food choices are influenced.  

Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome are also exploring the impact of modern society on human metabolism and obesity, in a call for papers on The effects of modern lifestyle dynamics, nutrition, and industrial compounds on human metabolism. 

Research Highlights 

The importance of health services in the early identification of obesity is emphasised in a study in BMC Primary Care that found that routinely recording body mass index (BMI) is not common practice by GPs in the Netherlands. The potential of the electronic health data managed by health services in improving obesity outcomes is further explored by a trial registered in the ISRCTN registry that aims to assess whether AI can help doctors identify children at risk of obesity, and in turn improve treatment outcomes and decision-making.  

Schools also play a key role in preventing obesity in children and in later life. The outcomes from a systematic review published in Implementation Science Communications provide guidance for intervention developers, staff, and researchers looking to implement school-based interventions to reduce obesity in children with low socioeconomic status. Relatedly, an article in BMC Medicine considers the possible impact of creating ‘takeaway management zones’ around schools on improving long-term health outcomes. 

The role of the work environment is also explored by an article in BMC Public Health which identifies a correlation between obesity and occupational noise exposure. A study in BMC Pediatrics also explores whether supporting parents in the home environment with Family Based Behavioural Treatments can have a favourable impact on the long-term BMI evolution of adolescents. 

Books Chapters on Obesity 

Contributions that emphasise the importance of systems in taking action on obesity can also be found in our books portfolio. 

A chapter on ‘The Global Pandemic of Overweight and Obesity’ in the Handbook of Global Health pays attention to how health systems in different parts of the world address obesity and provides an examination of obesity as a disease and risk factor for conditions.  

A contribution to Human Growth and Nutrition in Latin American and Caribbean Countries also analyses data collected from a series of national health surveys conducted in Brazil, identifying socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in nutritional status patterns. 

Research Communities Blogs  

In support of this year’s campaign, our authors, researchers and editors have also shared their own perspectives on rethinking our current approaches and systems for addressing obesity in a series of blogs now available on the Research Communities. 

In a joint post, the Editors-in-Chief of the International Journal of Obesity voice their support for World Obesity Day, sharing insights and recent collections that demonstrate the progress made in obesity science. A News and Opinion post by Christa Meisinger, one of the Editors-in-Chief for Lipids in Health and Disease, calls for increased focus within the research community on developing tailored interventions for obesity, considering the recent advancements in genomics, metabolomics and precision medicine. In an accompanying blog, the Review Editor, Gregory Henderson details the relationship between obesity and poor blood glucose regulation, with the release of fatty acids into the blood from fat tissue likely increasing the risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes. 

In another Behind the Paper blog, Dana Ivancovsky Wajcman, Jeffrey V Lazarus & Shira Zelber Sagi discuss the motivations for their recent review in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology in that explores the complex relationship between obesity, food insecurity, and liver disease, emphasising the need for strengthened research efforts and a multi-level approach for reducing the global burden of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Cristina Sena also highlights the role of perivascular adipose tissue in vascular health. 

From a clinical perspective, Charlotte Aldbury stresses the importance of communication between healthcare professionals and people living with obesity for improved outcomes. Zanab Malik also explores the barriers people living with severe obesity face when seeking dental care, identifying that revised guidelines, education, and environmental changes in the clinic may support improved oral health outcomes for this vulnerable patient group. Finally, a contribution from the BIO-STREAMS project team outlines their objectives for developing a digital biobank and digital inverventions for approaching childhood obesity. 

Conclusion 

To find out more about World Obesity Day and join the campaign, please visit the official website to find out how you can increase awareness, become an advocate, and read and share experiences from the global community.