Driving multisectoral action on obesity in Brazil

The obesity epidemic presents a global health emergency, currently affecting 1 billion people worldwide, continuing to be misunderstood by society at large, assigning blame to the individual and reinforcing stigmatizing stereotypes with great consequences to persons living with obesity, their mental health and likelihood to seek and access quality care. Brazil is no exception, where currently 25% of the adult population is living with obesity.

To tackle this pressing issue, a concerted effort is needed to empower agents of change, engage with people living with obesity, capacity build healthcare professionals and mobilise civil society. World Obesity Federation is leading an event-packed week in Brazil, June 24-30th, where a unique opportunity presents itself at the International Congress for Obesity to convene obesity expertise from the advocacy and research, youth, food policy, patient, Indigenous, community leadership and healthcare perspectives - integral voices for the conception of an emerging movement that addresses obesity in Brazil comprehensively.

The International Congress on Obesity starting June 26th is a bi-annual meeting bringing together the global community of scientists, academics and medical professionals working in the fields of obesity research, clinical management, and education.

• International Congress on Obesity | World Obesity Federation

Mobilizing for Change: Catalyzing a Social Movement to Address Obesity in Brazil

Addressing the obesity epidemic requires a multifaceted approach that extends beyond traditional interventions. By uniting individuals and organizations across sectors, coalitions can create momentum for action, challenge societal norms, and advocate for systemic change. World Obesity, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF - the Global Obesity Coalition - convened 25 Brazilians from research, lived experience, advocacy, and clinical professionals at the Public Health School of the University of Sao Paulo to workshop obesity policy priorities and engage civil society in the WHO Acceleration Plan to STOP obesity.

Brazil SCOPE School - Collaborative approaches to address obesity: Taking the next steps

On Tuesday, world experts shared and discussed the most up to date evidence in obesity science in a full-day of SCOPE training. In addition, sessions are held on the global obesity policy landscape and implications for policy in Brazil and the wider Latin America region, allowing participants to develop skills in obesity advocacy.

• SCOPE School São Paulo | World Obesity Federation

Evidence Generation to Policy Action Workshop

World Obesity Federation, the Latin American and Caribbean Nutritional and Health Community of Practice (COLANSA), Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), and the International Network for Obesity/noncommunicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) are hosting a capacity building advocacy workshop on the first morning of ICO. Featuring speakers from the Latin American region and around the world, this half-day workshop aims to share international success stories in food policy advocacy, highlighting the valuable role of evidence and the involvement of researchers/academics along with civil society and other stakeholders.

• Evidence Generation to Policy Action: Pre-congress workshop | World Obesity Federation