Obesity Care Week 2022 - Now is the Time to ACT! - Set to Highlight the Importance of Changing the Way We Care about Obesity

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sunday, February 27^th, marks the beginning of Obesity Care Week (OCW) 2022, a national awareness campaign aimed at changing the way we care about obesity by providing science-based education on obesity and advocating for access to affordable and comprehensive care.

Supported by more than 100 healthcare organizations and recognized in more than 80 countries, OCW2022 will aim to:

• Recognize obesity as a serious and complex disease
• Combat weight bias and stigma
• Expand access to care for obesity with the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act
• Treat obesity with science-based treatments
• Enact prevention education and programs

"Throughout the past two years, we've learned just how serious the disease of obesity can be when combined with something like COVID-19, yet we still struggle on many fronts with access to treatments, combating weight bias and the recognition of obesity as a serious, complex issue. While we've made significant advancements in the development of science-based treatments, the number of people impacted by obesity has continually trended upward. This is largely due to the severe access issues we have in the U.S. and the prevalence of weight bias, especially in healthcare. We're calling on everyone to stand with us during OCW2022 because now is the time to act," said Joe Nadglowski, Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President and CEO.

OCW2022 will be jam-packed with education and action for everyone to participate. Throughout the week, OCW2022 will debut exclusive interviews on topics such as:

• A Look at the State of Obesity with Leaders from the Obesity Healthcare Field
• An In-depth Discussion about Weight Bias, the Influence of Body Positivity and more
• The Current State of Obesity Treatment
• And, an exclusive interview with Senator Bill Cassidy, MD; and Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD; on the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act.

To complement this remarkable lineup of topics, OCW2022 will also offer opportunities for the public to help change the way we care by advocating to President Biden on the importance of obesity care, taking the OAC's Your Weight Matters Campaign Challenge and much more!

"OCW2022's theme is 'Now is the Time to ACT!' And action is what we need. It's been almost 10 years since the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act was introduced. How many people have gone without access to care since then and suffered serious health issues as a result? Could family and friends with untreated obesity lost to COVID have been saved? Our government, healthcare system, and, most importantly, our society must recognize the seriousness of obesity. Now truly is the time for action," said Patricia Nece, J.D., OAC Chair.

OCW2022 would not have been possible without the support of our official OCW Partners. OCW would like to recognize their partners' support and commitment to changing the way we care for and about obesity: Platinum – Novo Nordisk; Bronze – Eli Lilly; Patron – Endo Pharmaceuticals; Supporter –Boehringer Ingelheim, Celebrate Nutritional Supplements, Currax Pharmaceuticals, Fujifilm, Intuitive Surgical, and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals.

OCW2022 is very fortunate to be represented worldwide and have the support of more than 100 Champion organizations: Founding Champions – The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), The Obesity Society (TOS), The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), The Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) and the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance. Additional Champions include – A Step Towards Community Health, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Alliance for Patient Access, American Academy of Pas, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Physicians, American Institute for Cancer Research, American Medical Group Association, American Nurses Association, American Society for Nutrition, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Assoc Brasileira Para Promoção da Alimentação Saudavel e Sustentável, Association of Black Cardiologists, Avicenna Primary Care, Bariatric Medical Institute of Texas, Better Weigh Center, Business Group on Health, Cardiometabolic Health Congress , Catherine Hudson, MD, Centenario Hospital Miguel Hidalgo, Center for Patient Advocacy Leaders, Charleston Area Medical Center, Charlotte Hodges, MD, Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Citizens Bariatric Center, Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Community Health Alliance, Community Health Network, Congressional Weight Loss, ConscienHealth, Dallas Obesity Society, EITOM Clinica, Embrace You Weight and Wellness, Endocrine Society, European Association for the Study of Obesity, European Childhood Obesity Group, European Coalition for People Living with Obesity, European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, EWeightloss, Florida Chapter, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio, Gerontological Society of America, Global Liver Institute, Global Obesity Patient Alliance, Hamza Nutri Care, Health Care Connection, Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation, Healthy Lombard, Healthy Women, IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, Inclusa Health & Wellness, International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders, Ivy Bagley, FNP, IBCLC, Jersey Medical Weight Loss Center, Kiran Hospital India, Kisat Diabetes Organization, League of United Latin American Citizens, LEVL, Lora Grabow, LMSW, Massachusetts Coalition for Action on Obesity, Massachusetts General Hospital, Weight Center, MedTech Coalition for Metabolic Health, National Black Leadership Commission on Health, National Center for Weight and Wellness, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Bariatric & Metabolic Institute, Nutrition HeartBeat, Nutri-Vention, Nuvance Health, Obesity Canada, Obesity Care Advocacy Network, Obesity Policy Engagement Network, O.C.E.A.N.S. Lifestyles, Osteoarthritis Action Alliance, PA Foundation, Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, Precision Strategies, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Rachel Goldman, PhD, Radiant Health Weight Loss and Wellness, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, UCONN, Rural Health Association, Salud America! at University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Samaritan Weight Management Institute, Servicios Y Mas, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition, The Color of Wellness Magazine, The Obesity Society, TOPS Club, Tulane Bariatric Center, University of Oklahoma Health, Bariatrics, Valley Diabetes & Obesity, WeightLoss Solutions Australia, White Rock Medical Center, Wise Weight Management, World Obesity Federation.

If you are interested in learning more about OCW2022 and want to sign-up for OCW2022 Alerts, please visit www.ObesityCareWeek.org and help change the way we care today!

The Mission of OCW is to advance a science-based understanding of obesity and widespread access to respectful, comprehensive and appropriate care.

SOURCE Obesity Action Coalition