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WONCA obesity panel set to tackle growing issue

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The world’s largest general practice conference is fast approaching, with more details emerging about what attendees can expect.
 
Themed, ‘Recovery, reconnection, and revival. A celebration of primary care,’ WONCA 2023 will include more than 800 presentations and workshops from over 700 local and international presenters from around the world.
 
Among these experts is a panel of researchers and clinicians set to engage in a comprehensive discussion on obesity, which will examine a host of issues, including: 

• the effectiveness of health promotion interventions delivered by community health workers to control obesity
• weight gain in patients living with early psychosis
• factors associated with weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic
• obesity management in primary care and the link to effective lifestyle management and preventive medicine.

Dr Terri-Lynne South, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Obesity Management, says weight can be a ‘delicate area’ for GPs and patients, and has encouraged GPs to attend the discussion as well as all of the other offerings at WONCA, which is due to take place in Sydney from 26–29 October.
 
‘This conference is a wonderful opportunity that will bring together GPs, family doctors and primary health practitioners from across the globe,’ she said.
 
‘You can share your own insights and learn from others and the panel discussion on obesity on Sunday 29 October certainly looks promising.
 
‘We live in an era of social media comparisons and people suffering from body image pressures, so providing the right kind of care and support is crucial. GPs certainly don’t want to make people feel worse about themselves or even discriminated against; however, we can’t avoid discussing weight with patients entirely.’
 
A WONCA pre-conference workshop (CPD hours attached) on a novel approach to medically supervised weight management will also be held on 25 October from 1.30 pm – 3 pm, with those interested able to register when signing up for the conference.
 
‘[Obesity] is a growing problem in Australia, with 67% of the nation’s adults falling into the categories of being overweight or obese, alongside of a quarter of children and adolescents,’ Dr South said.
 
‘So, clearly this is something that must be front of mind for GPs and practice teams, and that includes helping people to take the steps necessary to improve their health and wellbeing rather than just focusing on the numbers on the scale.
 
‘The focus needs to be on healthy and helpful conversations so that we can help patients improve their health trajectory. GPs will not talk about weight in isolation; instead, we provide holistic care and look at the patient’s entire health history and life circumstances.’
 
However, she also said GPs need to be given the tools to help them broach the topic in a sensitive way.  
 
‘One approach is to ask the patient if it is okay to measure their weight and then look carefully for clues from the patient as to whether that is something that is causing them distress,’ Dr South said.
 
‘More can and should be done in this space and that includes more education for medical students and clinicians to ensure all patients are being respected and offered the highest quality treatment. If we had separate training relating to stigma and bias and a greater understanding of the biology of weight control – that is something that could be very beneficial.
 
‘Every patient is different and I’m mindful of research which provides that some health professionals may not fully understand the negative impacts weight stigma can have for some people.
 
‘If a patient has had bad previous experiences with a health professional and feels a sense of shame, they may be reluctant to reach out and seek help and that is the last thing we want.
 
‘So, the aim for GPs is to ensure people who are overweight or obese are seeking healthcare and that they are getting the same investigations or treatment as someone who’s not living in a larger body.’
 
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obesity WONCA

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