Top World Obesity Day Awards presented to winners from six European countries
Organisations from six European countries won the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), and European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO) World Obesity Day Europe Awards for 2020 and 2021.
Two Swiss organisations won the ECPO Award for The Best Public Engagement Programme.
Eurobesitas and Perceptio Cibus pooled resources to produce and publicise a video to draw attention to the stigma often experienced by people living with obesity. It highlights a better approach that should be followed by medical professionals.
The seven-minute video called “Courage” was produced entirely by amateur actors from Eurobesitas and was written and directed by the eminent Swiss obesity specialist and physician, Dr Dominique Durrer. The film was made in French but with versions subtitled in English and German and dubbed in Portuguese.
The film was released to coincide with World Obesity Day Europe 2021 and received widespread media and social media attention.
Short video about the making of the Courage can be viewed:
Two winners shared the ECPO Award for the Best Patient Engagement Programme.
The Slovak Coalition of People with Obesity and Overweight (SKLON) moved all its activities online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using their website and Facebook pages, they organised numerous events during the weeks leading up to World Obesity Day, including free-of-charge activities in cooperation with the Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic (ÚVZ SR), the Slovak Society of Practical Obesitology (SSPO), the University of Health and Social Work of Saint Elisabeth, the Slovak Nordic Walking Association, STOB lecturers, Phoenix zdravotnícke zásobovanie a.s., Kompava Company, and sports instructors.
RNDr. JUDr. Hana Vrabcová of SKLON (right) with Associate professor MUDr. Mária Belovičová PhD., President of the Society of Practical Obesity and an internist from the Bardejov Spa
The joint winner of the ECPO Award for the Best Patient Engagement Programme was Stop Obesity (STOB) from the Czech Republic.
They similarly organised daily online physical activities with 2,450 people taking part. They also organised an online conference with opening remarks by the Deputy Minister of Health. More than 930 people watched the livestream and several thousand more have since watched it on YouTube. Online consultations, with 28 experts from STOB, were attended by 180 people.
Members of the STOB team (left to right) Hanka Málková Pávková, Iva Málková, Lenka Vymlátilová, and Martin Pávek.
The EASO Award for the Best National Training Programme
Was won by the University of Minho, Braga-Portugal.
They developed a “hands-on day” for families and childcare teachers at the University to share different approaches/activities for preventing obesity in children for families and to discuss different strategies for preventing obesity in children from childcare centres. They also developed a booklet for parents with strategies about eating habits.
Members of the winning team from the University of Minho, Portugal, from left to right: Cláudia Augusto, Silvana Martins, Rafaela Rosário, Maria José Silva, Ana Duarte
From left to right: Tom NAVARRO (in charge of communication), Mélanie DELOZE (secretary general of the association), Agnès MAURIN (CEO of the association), Matthieu MONIER (deputy secretary general of the association, project manager).
There were also joint winners of the EASO Award for the Best Collaborative Project.
The French “Ligue contre l’obésité” commissioned a national survey on weight bias and obesity in France and its overseas departments and territories.
They also launched a “kilometres against obesity” challenge as well and held a 36-hour live marathon event aimed at associations, health professionals, researchers and the general public.
A total of 36 speakers talked about obesity and its causes. In addition, the League encouraged individuals, groups and patient associations across France to hold and register World Obesity Day events of their own. The 195 events held generated publicity from more than 50 news organisations including newspapers, TV and radio stations, and national press agencies.
Award for the Best Collaborative Project
A collaboration between the Association for the Study of Obesity on the island of Ireland (ASOI) and the Irish Coalition for People living with Obesity (ICPO) were joint winners of the EASO Award for the Best Collaborative Project.
On World Obesity Day (March 4) the two organisations held an online event with a live host and pre-recorded sessions. It involved 50 people living with obesity and 20 professional obesity healthcare specialists and attracted 162 participants. In addition, the two organisations conducted an extensive social media campaign which put them in the 5th and 9th position in the top 10 most active social media influencers on World Obesity Day.
Members of ICPO.
Standing, from left to right: Eoin O’Connell, Linda Smyth, Vicki Mooney, Bernadette Keenan, Ben Whelan, and Deirdre Murphy
Seated: Maura Murphy, Susie Birney, MF White and Teena Gates