Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for chronic disease

Obesity is considered a modifiable risk factor for a host of chronic diseases BUT individuals with overweight or obesity can lower this risk by taking action to reduce and manage their weight.

People often know that they would ‘be healthier’ if they lost some weight. However, it can be useful as a clinician engaging with patients, to understand more around the specifics of HOW excess weight contributes to the risk and progression of disease. It is also helpful to understand HOW reducing weight reduces risk and improves health.

Reflection exercise: Think about one of your typical patients with a chronic condition which limits their quality of life. They also have obesity. Do you feel confident that you could describe to your patient how and why obesity might be exacerbating their symptoms? Do you feel confident that you could educate the patient on the benefits of weight loss for their chronic condition?

The following module is designed to help you understand the mechanisms underlying the associations between overweight and a whole range of disorders and diseases. We hope that this knowledge will help you educate your patients and get more out of a weight management discussion.