While reviewing recent blog publications in the Health & Clinical Research and Life Science Communities, one topic kept re-emerging —World Obesity Day. Held every year on March 4th, World Obesity Day aims to raise awareness and advocate for solutions to the global obesity crisis and highlight the urgent need to improve how we understand, prevent, and treat obesity.
If you’d like to learn more, I highly recommend visiting the World Obesity Day website where you can explore personal stories, advocacy opportunities, and ways to raise awareness.
In this blog post, I wanted to highlight some of the research on this topic shared by our authors and the stories of how this research came to be. From how clinicians can better communicate with patients about obesity to how AI is driving Europe’s first Childhood Obesity Prevention Network, these studies highlight the incredible work being done to tackle this global challenge.
From status symbol to silent epidemic: the complex relationship between obesity, food insecurity, and liver disease
The Complex Relationship Between Obesity, Food Insecurity, and Liver Health
For centuries, a larger body size was a sign of wealth and health. Today, obesity is more often linked to food insecurity and chronic diseases like metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This paradox is particularly interesting to read – how is it that those struggling to afford food are also at the highest risk of diet-related illnesses?
This blog post by @Dana Ivancovsky Wajcman @Jeffrey V Lazarus and @Shira Zelber Sagi expands on the paper published in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology and discusses ways food insecurity fuels poor nutrition, from aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to limited access to fresh, affordable produce. More importantly, it also explores solutions, policy changes, healthcare interventions, and community-driven efforts, to break this cycle.
Read the full 'Behind the Paper' post here, which expands on how food inequality is shaping global health and, importantly, what we can do about it.
Preventing childhood obesity with AI
Childhood obesity is particularly challenging due to its lifelong impact, shaped by diet, exercise, genetics, environment, and behaviour.
This ‘Behind the Paper’ post, written by @Izidor Mlakar following publication of their article in ISRCTN registry, expands on how Europe's first AI-powered childhood obesity prevention network got started by asking a key question: ‘why do some children respond well to obesity interventions while others see little effect?’
This question led researchers to develop the BIO-STREAMS project, a digital biobank that connects data from thousands of children across Europe, helping to predict which interventions work best for different individuals.
Explore how cutting-edge technology was developed to shape the future of childhood obesity prevention in this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post.
lets talk about obesity and clinical communication
Let’s Talk About Obesity & Clinical Communication
I really enjoyed reading this ‘News and Opinion’ blog by @Charlotte Albury on how small changes in conversation can make a huge difference in obesity care. This post discusses how the way healthcare professionals talk about weight, down to specific words and tone, can completely change how patients perceive the helpfulness of conversations, with some common approaches potentially doing more harm than good.
The research discussed breaks down how professionals and patients living with obesity can have supportive and helpful conversations together when discussing obesity and how simple tweaks in communication can lead to better support and real progress. Learn more about healthcare, patient communication and the power of words in this 'News and Opinion' blog post.
Explore more content and continue the conversation around World Obesity Day 2025
The editors and publishers at BMC have selected and shared a number of articles from the Research Communities, collections, and research highlights that support World Obesity Day 2025. The post follows BMC’s commitment to support the Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Join the Conversation!
There is always an abundance of amazing research stories being showcased on the Research Communities. To explore more, visit the ‘Behind the Paper channel and learn what thoughts and ideas go on behind the scenes of research projects.
Interested in more content highlighting awareness days on the Research Communities? Read more about World Water Day and World Tuberculosis Day, as well as other blog roundups:
Don’t forget to like and start conversations in the comment section of the posts you enjoy. Is there more you would like to learn from the author? Let them know in the comments!
If you have any questions, get in touch with the team at communities@springernature.com