Obesity Care Week (OCW) is just days away, taking place March 3rd through March 7th, with World Obesity Day falling on March 4th. This year’s OCW will encourage conversations to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for people living with obesity. The theme this year is “Commit to Care,” to encourage everyone to advocate for accessible, affordable, respectful, and compassionate obesity care.
Obesity impacts more than 2 in 5 adults in the United States. Stigma is extremely prevalent and people with obesity struggle to receive adequate care. Recent conversations about obesity medications and shortcomings of diagnostic definitions have shown how many people face barriers to obesity care. It’s time for change; OCW’s mission is essential.
Obesity Care Week was founded in 2015 by the STOP Obesity Alliance in partnership with the Obesity Action Coalition, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. The global vision of Obesity Care Week is to foster a society that understands, respects, and accepts the complexities of obesity and values science and clinical care. We are grateful for our 27 STOP Obesity Alliance members who are Champions of OCW25, and our 5 STOP corporate members - Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Currax - who serve as OCW Partners. The Champions and Partners of OCW25 will work together to encourage the recognition that obesity is a chronic disease, not a choice.
Obesity Care Week draws attention to the complex nature of obesity as a deeply stigmatized chronic disease. You can make a personal commitment to support better obesity care by signing the pledge at obesitycareweek.org. By pledging, you’re joining a global effort to:
- Raise awareness about the challenges of obesity as a chronic disease.
- Advocate for improved policies that expand access to effective, evidence-based care.
- Treat everyone with respect and compassion, free from stigma or bias.
- Encourage meaningful conversations about the importance of health and well-being.
We hope you will join us for OCW25 on March 3-7. You can visit www.obesitycareweek.org