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We educate, inform, support and advocate for those living with obesity. We are All About Obesity.

About AAO

All About Obesity (CIC) is a third sector organisation in the UK. We aim to be a leading trusted source of information and educational resources, not only for people living with obesity, but also for healthcare professionals and policymakers. Our primary objective is to drive research in obesity as well as campaign for better treatments and support for those living with obesity.

More about us

Our goals

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To raise awareness and understanding of the complexities of obesity

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To influence and campaign for obesity policy change

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To be involved in obesity research – leading and participating

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To improve education about obesity – schools, HCP’s, policymakers & within society

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To reduce weight stigma and discrimination

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To reduce health inequalities for people living with obesity

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To recognise obesity as a disease

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To ensure people with obesity have a voice – through advocacy development

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To provide a support network for people living with obesity

What is obesity and how is it treated?

“Contrary to popular belief, obesity isn’t simply having a BMI above 30. BMI tells you about body size, but not a lot about health. Rather, obesity is carrying too much fat that it begins to impact your health. How much is too much? That will differ from person to person.”

Dr Giles Yeo 2021

Obesity in adults

For adults, WHO defines overweight and obesity as follows:

  • Overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25; and
  • Obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals.

Obesity in children aged between 5–19 years

Overweight and obesity are defined as follows for children aged between 5–19 years:

  • Overweight is BMI-for-age greater than 1 standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median; and
  • Obesity is greater than 2 standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median.

Obesity in children under 5 years of age

For children under 5 years of age:

  • Overweight is weight-for-height greater than 2 standard deviations above WHO Child Growth Standards median; and
  • Obesity is weight-for-height greater than 3 standard deviations above the WHO Child Growth Standards median.
An adult man fighting Obesity

How can you manage obesity?

“Obesity is a complex chronic condition, and, in some countries, obesity is classified as a chronic disease. In 1997, WHO recognised obesity as a chronic disease.” [The Lancet 2021]

Because obesity is a chronic condition, it needs to be managed with chronic solutions, currently obesity tends to be managed using acute solutions, such as 12-week programmes or plans.

The management of obesity needs to be done on an individual basis, no one approach is suitable or will work for everyone. Currently within the NHS, there is a tier system for obesity management. Tier 1 is a universal intervention aimed at prevention and re enforcement of healthy lifestyle principles; Tier 2 is lifestyle and weight management services, this can include commercial weight management programmes, and are often time limited to 12 weeks. Tier 3 is clinician led specialist weight management services, that consist of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) including specialist dietitians, nurses, psychologists and physiotherapists and can be delivered in primary or secondary care and Tier 4 is bariatric surgery with MDT support pre and post surgery.

There are a number of weight management pharmaceutical interventions available on the NHS, these are by prescription only, so if you felt they might be helpful to manage your weight then please contact your GP to discuss these. (There are various criteria required for certain medications).

If you would like support with managing your obesity, then please contact your GP in the first instance.

How does AAO advocate for
people living with obesity?

Anti-discrimination

Weight stigma and discrimination is experienced by people living with obesity on almost a daily basis. Evidence shows us that the stigma and discrimination is seen across many social settings, including healthcare.

Dr Stuart Flint, an expert in weight stigma, reported that ‘contrary to societal misconceptions, and often reflecting media content and portrayal of obesity, that weight stigma can be beneficial, substantial evidence informs that experiences of weight stigma are detrimental and are well known to be associated with physical and mental health concerns.

An obese man and woman standing with their backs to each other
An old woman receiving better health provision at a hospital

Better health provision

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) [The Lancet 2021] called for the elimination of discrimination in healthcare settings, within which it was highlighted that “stigma and discrimination in health takes many forms—the denial of health care and unjust barriers to service provision, inferior quality of care and a lack of respect” – this has been evidenced in the case of obesity, and was included within a weight bias and obesity stigma statement in 2017 [The Lancet 2021].

Dr Stuart Flint reported that ‘there is a long overdue need to call for action to end weight stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings. The pervasiveness of weight stigma and discrimination that has been evidenced globally, requires structural changes given that it is evident in health policy, public health campaigns and healthcare training, including disparities in the framing of obesity compared to other health conditions [The Lancet 2021]’.

We are passionate at AAO to ensure that people living with obesity get equal access to services and that they are treated with dignity and respect when accessing these services.

Better health provision

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) [The Lancet 2021] called for the elimination of discrimination in healthcare settings, within which it was highlighted that “stigma and discrimination in health takes many forms—the denial of health care and unjust barriers to service provision, inferior quality of care and a lack of respect” – this has been evidenced in the case of obesity, and was included within a weight bias and obesity stigma statement in 2017 [The Lancet 2021].

Dr Stuart Flint reported that ‘there is a long overdue need to call for action to end weight stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings. The pervasiveness of weight stigma and discrimination that has been evidenced globally, requires structural changes given that it is evident in health policy, public health campaigns and healthcare training, including disparities in the framing of obesity compared to other health conditions [The Lancet 2021]’.

We are passionate at AAO to ensure that people living with obesity get equal access to services and that they are treated with dignity and respect when accessing these services.

An old woman receiving better health provision at a hospital

How can we help you?

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Are you living with obesity?

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Are you working with those living with obesity?

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Do you want to help make positive change?

Contact us

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