Obesity rates in Chile have been increasing for two decades.
We congratulate our Chilean colleagues in the Chilean Coalition for the Study of Obesity, the coalition of 58 healthcare professionals and seven Chilean scientific and professional associations which collaborated to develop the new Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) within the Chilean and Latin American context. The adaptated guidelines follow the science, recognising that obesity is a disease defined by health impairment and driven by complex biological, environmental and psychosocial factors.
Dr Yudith Priess, who led the Chilean CPG Guidelines development process said “My role in the adaptation process was to lead and organize the project with the mentorship of Dr. Ximena Ramos Salas and the help of Obesity Canada, so that a group of great local professionals could adapt the Canadian chapters to our local reality, including Latin American and Chilean evidence, and developing recommendations based on clinical questions relevant to our clinical practice.
We are proud of the work we have achieved, bringing together seven Chilean scientific societies that participated in different parts of the process, demonstrating that the treatment of obesity must be multidisciplinary and continuous.
I am grateful to have been able to participate in a project of this magnitude, and I hope that other countries can replicate this process to promote timely and fair treatment for patients living with obesity.”
Dr Claudio Canales, a Bariatric Surgeon who is a Director and Past President of the Chilean Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (SCCBM) co-authored the new Guidelines and is executive director of the Chilean CPG adaptation process.
Dr Canales said ‘We are pleased to release our first CPGs regarding obesity and related disorders, which were developed via a pioneering collaborative and interdisciplinary process in Latin America. Seven local scientific societies and Obesity Canada supported this important work.
We anticipate using the new guidance to educate health care professionals about the impact of obesity stigma, and to support HCPs to provide appropriate and timely treatment for our patients in Chile.”
The launch includes an online webinar on November 10th at 8pm Chilean Time (GMT-3). Registration for the webinar is via Zoom:
https://econgressvenue.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5NIN2f4mRtuWXwWWRzt90g
There will also be an in-person launch event on November 11th between noon and 3pm (GMT-3).
Learn more: https://www.medwave.cl/revisiones/consenso/2649.html?lang=en