Obesity Care Week (OCW) is a global initiative that brings together advocates and organizations nationwide to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for people affected by obesity. This year’s OCW falls on March 2nd through the 6th, with World Obesity Day falling in the middle of the week, March 4th. The theme this year, “Commit to Care”, calls on us to sign the pledge to advocate and raise awareness of the need for obesity care, support accessible, affordable and compassionate care, and develop and pass policies that promote dignity and respect for all.
Obesity remains a highly prevalent disease, impacting more than 2 in 5 adults in the United States. Despite the need for obesity care, people with obesity are stigmatized and face barriers to receive respectful, evidence-based care. Recent conversations about obesity medications and shortcomings of diagnostic definitions have demonstrated 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-based clinical care. We are grateful for our 25+ STOP Obesity Alliance members who are Champions of OCW26, and our four STOP corporate members - Lilly, Regeneron, Amgen, and Boehringer Ingelheim - who serve as OCW Partners. The Champions and Partners of OCW26 will work together to encourage the recognition that obesity is a chronic disease, not a choice, and not a personal failure.
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, especially people with obesity, 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 OCW26 from March 2-6. You can visit www.obesitycareweek.org to sign up for alerts and get involved. It’s time to #CommitToCare and be a part of creating lasting change!