Call to Action Against Overweight and Obesity: Asia-Oceania Perspective From the 6th Asia-Oceania Conference on Obesity August 31-September 2, 2011 Manila, Philippines

We, the participants of the 6th Asia-Oceania Conference on Obesity,

Appalled by the rapid rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in countries in the region, bringing with it the increasing rate of co-morbidities – cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and other chronic diseases;

Reminded of the heavy health and economic burden that obesity imposes on individuals, communities and nations, affecting our country’s development;

Convinced that prevention of overweight throughout the lifecycle starting from improvements in maternal and child health in pregnancy is the key to successful public health control;

R ealizing most solutions are outside the health system and that population approaches directed to obesogenic environment and practices in communities, schools and work place rather than individual approaches, are necessary to achieve long-term success;

C onfident that while standard approaches of self-monitoring, physical exercise, low calorie diets and lifestyle modification remain as the basic strategies in the management of obesity, motivational interviewing and new technological approaches are needed to encourage permanent behaviour change;

A ware of the strong link between obesity and cardio-metabolic risk through complex metabolic pathways and cross-talking of fat cells with distant organs through cytokines and hormones; and

R ecognizing the need to re-examine our approach to current therapeutic management with the advent of new drugs and their combinations, and the importance of individualizing therapies and balancing risks;

Hereby declare, as members of our respective associations and societies for the study and control of obesity:

To strengthen networking among members of Asia-Oceania Associations for the Study of Obesity (AOASO), through regional conferences, workshops, training, and collaborative research.

To focus our individual and collective efforts, towards the prevention of obesity throughout the lifecycle starting from conception;

To intensify our efforts to spread public awareness of the dangers of obesity to the health and economic development of individuals, communities and country, and pursue programs of public education on the problem of obesity, its prevention and control;

To advocate a population-based approach towards an anti-obesogenic environment in the home, community and workplace;

To promote positive policies, programs, strategies and therapeutic modalities known to have high potential for success;

To continue the search for improved preventive and therapeutic approaches by keeping abreast with the latest scientific advances; and

To support scientific research to understand better all aspects of obesity – from its pathogenesis to new therapeutic modalities.

In support of this Declaration:

We urge our respective governments to exert their political will to support comprehensive policies, strategies and programs to control the rapidly growing problem of overweight and obesity in our populations, and at the same time examine policy options focusing on food and environments that are responsible for this rising trend;

We entreat all sectors, particularly the media and food industry, to contribute to the efforts of AOASO and its members in pursuing the vision of an obesity risk-free region.

Resolved, as it is hereby resolved,

That copies of this Declaration be furnished to officials of relevant international and government agencies, medical and health associations, non-government organizations, the media and pharmaceutical industries in our respective countries.

Done this 2nd day of September, 2011, at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel, Manila, Philippines.

Signed: