2023 in review: The Association for the Study of Obesity on the island of Ireland (ASOI)
The Association for the Study of Obesity on the island of Ireland (ASOI) marked an active year in 2023, leading the way on obesity advocacy in Ireland through its position statements, public engagements and educational content.
ASOI also held a series of events, not least the hugely successful 30th European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, hosted in conjunction with EASO.
2023 saw the consolidation of the Obesity in Adults: Clinical Practice Guideline for Ireland, an essential framework elaborated with the Irish Coalition for People Living with Obesity (ICPO) and the HSE Obesity National Clinical Programme (NCP) which adapts the Canadian CPGs for Irish medical settings.
The guidelines, published in 18 chapters, “shift the focus from an exclusively body size diagnosis to a health-linked diagnosis of obesity … These guidelines will act as a guide to high-quality evidence-based obesity care, and in conjunction with the Model of Care for the Management of Adult Overweight and Obesity, improve the standard of care for individuals with obesity in all regions of Ireland.”
Read more about this project, which received nationwide media engagement.
World Obesity Day in Ireland was marked by a press release drawing attention on obesity awareness and highlighting the CPGs.
There was media coverage and an online event was held on issues including stigma, mental health, participation and childhood obesity.
Read more about this
In May 2023, ASOI co-hosted the excellent European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in the Dublin Convention Centre with over 2200 delegates from 69 countries, with ASOI delivering teaching workshops.
Education sessions on stigma were carried out throughout the year and delivered to several universities, third level institutions, clinical teams, HSE staff and other organisations, while a series of podcasts were published on ‘Obesity – Changing Attitudes’ and ’Addressing Obesity Stigma and Bias to Strengthen Healthcare in Ireland’.
A number of statements were published by ASOI, rejecting stigmatising experiences in breast screenings, a formal response to advice on prescription of semaglutide which omits the patient with obesity, and more.
Most recently, ASOI launched its Research Repository which collects obesity research from contributors affiliated with the island of Ireland.