Tackling Obesity

Description

Obesity is fast challenging tobacco smoking as the largest cause of preventable death and disease in Australia. Estimated to cost the health system anywhere between $8.6 billion and $56.6 billion, obesity cannot be ignored. As with the response to tobacco, efforts to tackle obesity must be strategic, multi-disciplinary, and involve a broad range of stakeholders, including governments, health professionals, the food industry and consumers themselves.

While there continues to be debate among health groups about the precise causes and contributors to obesity, there is growing agreement about the measures that will be required to tackle it - measures that are not always popular. The AMA and others have been calling for actions including a tax on sugary soft drinks and juices, reducing children's exposure to the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages, and increasing participation in physical activity. Yet people value autonomy, and want to make their own decisions around diet and exercise. How do we balance the need for autonomy with responsibility, as well as the needs of the health system and the needs of future generations?

In this module, you will hear from academics, medical practitioners, industry representatives, and opinion leaders with unique insights and views on the priorities for tackling obesity in Australia. Topical, insightful and sometimes controversial questions generated discussion and identified the measures the AMA should focus on in its efforts to advocate for action on obesity.

Type
2 hours Online Learning

Accreditation
ACRRM 2 hours

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise and apply seminal and recent research of overweight and obesity
2. Identify at least three ways policies, environments, and/or systems can be changed at the community-level or higher to reduce or prevent obesity
3. Recognise the issues affecting policy developed and implementation and understanding with individual practitioners can do to improve the health of Australians

Focus
Weight Management, obesity, policy, tackling obesity, Australia 

 

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