We are very excited to launch the Management and Advocacy for Providers, Patients, and Systems (MAPPS) II Project
MAPPS II is a global research study to review how well-equipped countries are for managing obesity in health systems and beyond.
Background
As the 2025 deadline for UN global noncommunicable disease (NCD) targets and the 2030 deadline for Sustainable Development Goals NCD and obesity targets approach, there is unprecedented urgency to address obesity as a global health crisis. While new evidence and management options are changing the obesity narrative, fragmented responses to obesity as a disease and driver of other diseases remain the norm.
The multiple roots of obesity require an integrated approach, but many countries are failing to appropriately resource integration of essential obesity services into the health system. Lack of prioritisation of obesity means that access to adequate and quality obesity care remains a challenge in both high-income and lower- and middle-income countries.
By 2035, 2 billion people are expected to be living with obesity worldwide.
It is clear that obesity in health systems requires a spotlight commensurate with the scale of the population it affects, and so obesity must be discussed in Global Forums and High-Level Meetings on NCDs and nutrition, health financing, Universal Health Coverage, and more as we approach the deadlines of global (and national) obesity and NCD targets. In order to develop effective solutions, we must first investigate and understand how different health systems function in relation to obesity, and identify the barriers to care and prevention.